


Fall All Over Again

by galactic-pirates (stillsearching47)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-25
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-09-02 03:02:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8649154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stillsearching47/pseuds/galactic-pirates
Summary: Before the first Dark Curse the Evil Queen had a paranoid moment, which meant in cursed Storybrooke, Gold and Lacey were married. Therefore when Belle falls over the town line - Lacey returns. Everyone is shouting at her, and everything is wrong, so Lacey does something she never did once in 28 years of marriage, she turns to Gold for protection. In turn Rumplestiltskin does something that Gold never did in 28 years of marriage - he tells Lacey that he loves her. Belle loved him, so can Lacey fall for him all over again or will the curse mask true love forever?





	1. Chapter 1

Lacey Gold stumbled out of the Rabbit Hole, smirking and waving to the crowd that was still there. She turned her back and her expression changed. They were all a bunch of idiots really, but they weren’t bad for a laugh, and were nearly always up for a game of pool. Before her marriage Keith could get annoyingly handsy, but thankfully he was scared enough of her husband to leave her alone. Not that she needed Gold to defend her, she’d kneed Keith in the crotch enough times, that he got the message anyway.

She snorted, when she thought about her husband. Man, that had blown everybody’s mind in this backwater dump of a town. The rich and powerful Mr. Gold marrying a barfly like her. Everyone had said it was about the money and the sex, and they weren’t wrong, that was the basis of their deal. Lacey shrugged, what she didn’t get was why they thought that was a bad thing. She matched their superior looks, with a smirk of her own, because she’d won. Gold had been the most eligible guy in town, and he was all hers.

The salmon Victorian was on the other side of town, so Lacey leisurely strolled along Main Street, she wasn’t in any hurry. The mayor really was a bitch, refusing to give permission for them to paint it, but then it was about the only point the mayor could win against Gold in their pissing contest. Lacey frowned and slowed her pace. Up ahead there was a beat up yellow bug cruising to a stop, she’d not seen that car in town before, and nobody ever came to Storybrooke. Why would they? The town was a dump.

Lacey watched as the passenger door opened, and the mayors kid scrambled out of the seat. He took a couple of steps down the road, and the drivers door flew open, a woman with long blonde hair darting out. Lacey scowled and quickened her pace, getting there just after the woman had grabbed Henry by his arms.

“What’s going on?” Lacey demanded.

“I’m alright Mrs Gold, this is my birth mother,” Henry explained.

“I’m just giving the kid a lift home,” the woman said.

Lacey gave her a very unimpressed look and mentally gave herself a point, when the woman looked uncomfortable. Truthfully, and she would never admit this to anyone under the pain of torture, but she felt a bit of kinship for Henry. She knew what it was like to have an unloving parent, thanks to dear old dad. Her father had never abused her, or neglected her, she’d always had everything she needed, except his attention. Now Henry, the poor kid, had gone looking for the woman who’d given him up in the first place. She didn’t expect he’d find what he was looking for with her.

“Yeah well, whatever,” Lacey muttered uncaringly. “What’s your name anyway?”

The woman blinked. “Emma, Emma Swan.”

There was a roaring in her ears. Lacey stumbled backwards, barely catching herself before she fell over. _‘Emma - Emma Swan’_ repeated over and over in her mind, as her brain exploded unleashing a torrent of memories. Belle took a deep breath. Emma was looking disconcerted and Henry’s eyes were wide. Belle shook herself, she needed to get away from them so that she could think.

“Whoops too much to drink.” Belle laughed. “I’m going to head on home myself. See you around Henry.”

“Bye Mrs Gold,” Henry called after her.

Belle stumbled down the road, trying desperately to get her thoughts in order and make sense of things. It wasn’t as difficult as she’d thought, once her mind stopped spinning with the sudden influx of memories, it settled down. After all, they were her memories, and all that had happened was a block had been removed. It was odd, because she still had all the memories of being Lacey, of a life that she had never lived, and of the previous twenty-eight years.

She looked down at herself, and winced at her outfit. Although this was demure for Lacey, black stockings covered her legs, even if the tight black minidress ended mid-thigh. In deference to the night chill, she had a bright red leather jacket slung over her shoulders. It went against Belle’s sensibilities from the old world, but then her cursed memories told her this world had different standards. She didn’t feel as uncomfortable as she thought she should.

It was another ten minutes walk home, which gave her ten minutes to work out what had happened and decide what she was going to do. In the Evil Queen’s tower, she had known that the dark curse was coming, but there was nothing she could do. She didn’t know what the curse would do, or what would become of her once it hit, but she had assumed whatever world they were in that she would remain the Queen’s prisoner. However, not long before the curse hit, the Queen had paid her a visit.

*****

_~Flashback~_

Belle scratched another line on the wall, marking another day as the Queen’s prisoner. She wasn’t sure if her count was accurate, there wasn’t a window in her cell and her only guide to the passage of time, was the sporadic meals the guards brought. They were her only visitors, the Queen was keeping her for leverage, and had no interest in her otherwise. Therefore she was surprised when she heard the bar on the door being removed, she knew she wasn’t due a meal for hours yet.

“How is the little maid?” Regina asked, a cruel smirk on her lips, as she swept into the small tower. Belle said nothing, and didn’t even bother moving from her position on the cot, she didn’t care to play the queen’s game. “Oh fine, be that way. I just wanted to tell you, that very soon you will be reunited with your true love.”

“You’re letting me go?” Belle blurted out in shock.

Regina laughed. “Oh not exactly. You see the dark curse will soon be upon us, nothing will stop it now, and we’ll all be ripped away to a new land. One where the only happy ending will be mine.”

“And Rumplestiltskin?” Belle pressed.

“Still locked up in the Charming’s dungeons.” Regina gestured negligently. “But that won’t be the case in the new land.”

“You made a deal with him,” Belle said knowingly.

She wasn’t surprised, even locked up and seemingly powerless, Rumplestiltskin could turn a situation to his advantage. He might not be able to stop the curse but he could assure his comfort, which was likely all he cared about. Belle frowned, she didn’t understand what that had to do with her, the queen had already gloated how she had made Rumplestiltskin believe that she was dead. Rumplestiltskin wouldn’t be making any deals concerning her.

“Remember what I told you that day on the road,” Regina taunted. “All curses can be broken. That is true even of this one. I won’t let it happen of course, but there is the possibility and so I need some insurance.”

Belle nodded, the queen’s sudden appearance in her cell finally making sense. “Nothing’s changed then, I’m still your leverage against Rumple.”

“Oh no, no, my dear.” Regina smiled cruelly. “Should the Charming’s brat escape my curse, and then return in twenty-eight years to break it, I don’t want to give dear old Rumple any excuse. You understand?”

_~Flashback~_

*****

Belle had understood completely. It was obvious that the queen was afraid of the inevitable. Good always triumphed over evil, so the dark curse would not last forever. When the curse eventually broke, the queen would have made an enemy of everyone in the land, she didn’t need the dark one coming after her as well. That was likely also why Regina hadn’t done much with Rumplestiltskin’s cursed personality. Mr. Gold _was_ Rumplestiltskin, just without the magic, so there was nothing there that he could be angry about either once he got his memories back.

It was a fairly safe assumption that Emma Swan, was Snow White and Prince Charming’s daughter, here after twenty-eight years to break the curse. However, Belle was pretty certain that the curse wasn’t broken, surely the streets would be teeming with people if that were the case. Therefore, the question was why had the curse broken for her, she had got her memories back the moment she had heard the name - Emma Swan. Belle was fairly certain that breaking the curse, wasn’t as simple as Emma introducing herself to everyone in town, so there was something else at work.

“Rumple,” Belle breathed, knowing that the wily sorcerer was likely behind it.

Although, that didn’t entirely make sense. Rumplestiltskin hadn’t known that she was alive, so he wouldn’t have built in an exception for her. Perhaps he had tied it to his cursed name, he had often said names had power, and he wouldn’t have expected that anyone would have shared his name. That was as good a theory as any, but it still left her with a lot of questions.

As she approached the salmon Victorian, Belle saw that the lights were on, Rumplestiltskin was home. She would soon discover whether he was Rumplestiltskin, or if he was still cursed to be purely Mr. Gold. If he was still Mr. Gold, then she would have to engineer a meeting with Emma Swan as soon as possible. Belle knew she wasn’t a schemer, and she didn’t know what to do for the best. This was Rumplestiltskin’s game.

Belle took a deep breath, hesitating before entering the house. The last time she had seen Rumplestiltskin, as herself, he’d thrown her out after their disastrous true loves kiss. The twenty-eight years of marriage, she remembered living as Lacey, felt just as real. It was like two lives in her head, and she wasn’t sure what to feel. Perhaps once she knew who was waiting for her inside, she’d get a better handle on her feelings.

There was only one way to find out, she turned her key in the lock and stepped inside.

*****

_The Town Line  
Post-breaking of the curse..._

There was a roaring in Lacey’s ears, and the darkness was threatening to pull her under. She had a throbbing pain in her shoulder, and her heart was thumping loudly. It was like an out of body experience, made worse both by what she was witnessing and because she didn’t know how she got here. Gold formed a fireball in his hand and then the next thing she knew, he was grabbing her and rolling them over the concrete road.

She could hear sirens in the distance, and Gold was talking to her, but her head was all fuzzy. Her waved his hand over her shoulder and it stopped hurting. Suddenly there was screaming and yelling, as more people arrived. Lacey staggered to her feet, shoving Gold away as he tried to help her. There were three people all shouting over one another, demanding to know what had happened and Gold was tight-lipped and saying nothing. The only one she recognized was that prude Mary Margaret, who taught at the school. What the hell did she care about a car wreck?

Lacey shook her head, the last thing she remembered was leaving the Rabbit Hole, and then she was here. She looked down, her clothes were different, she looked like she’d raided Mary Margaret’s closet. Seriously, what the hell was she wearing? If it hadn’t been for the recent pain in her shoulder, she’d have been convinced she was dreaming.

“Everybody shut up,” Lacey roared. “I’m not going anywhere with you, I don’t even know you. Gold, take me home. Now!”

“Well you heard my wife,” Gold said stiffly.

“But Gold ...” the blonde woman started to argue.

Gold ignored her, and held open the passenger door. Lacey slid into the seat, confident that Gold would take care of the idiots outside, he was good for that. Absently she rubbed at her shoulder, there was a hole in her blouse and her fingers were sticky. Lacey rubbed her fingers together, and squinted in the low light provided by the various car headlamps. It was blood, she had been injured and now she wasn’t.

A moment later, Gold got in the drivers side and started the engine. He did a rough three point turn and then floored it, paying no regard for the speed limit as he drove towards the Victorian. He was silent, but he kept looking at her, in a way Lacey didn’t like. As a matter of fact, she didn’t like any of this, she hated being confused. She didn’t know what the hell was going on and it made her feel vulnerable, she wanted her control back.

“What the hell was that back there Gold?” Lacey demanded roughly, determined not to show him how frightened she was.

Gold nervously licked his lips. “There was an accident.”

“No shit,” Lacey retorted. “The fire, the healing.” She gestured at her shoulder, and glared at him.

“Magic,” Gold explained simply.

Lacey snorted in disbelief, but there wasn’t really any other explanation. Gold kept glancing over at her, like she was an unexploded bomb. She gave him a poisonous glare, but it didn’t stop him. Her lip curled, if magic was now a thing, clearly the big ass gap in her memories was hiding more than a reason for Gold being weird. He had called her Belle, she had noticed but hadn’t called him on it yet, because she didn’t know what to make of it.

They had a deal, she got a good life and he got sex, not as much sex as he probably wanted but that was his fault for not specifying the terms better. Lacey smirked, Gold had a reputation for always getting the best of a deal, but she’d outwitted him there. When she had an itch, Gold scratched it, and she liked sex enough he had no reason to really complain. He’d demanded her fidelity, and she’d demanded the same from him. If he had been cheating on her with this Belle, she would make him live to regret it.

Gold parked the Cadillac, and she followed him into the house. Lacey glanced at herself in the mirror by the door, and shook her head. Everything was wrong - everything. She was wearing Sunday school clothes, her makeup was different, she didn’t feel like herself. She didn’t even know how much time she was missing, or how she had a gap in her memories anyway, beyond _‘magic’_ which scared the crap out of her. What the hell had happened to her life?

“I need a drink,” Lacey muttered, heading straight for the liquor cabinet.

She poured a healthy measure of whiskey into a crystal tumbler and threw it back in one shot. She then poured another one and headed towards the stairs. Gold followed her, a sad confused look on his face, like he didn’t know what the hell to do. Lacey glanced at him disdainfully - he didn’t know what to do? This was her fucking life that had gone screwy - not his.

The last thing she needed was Gold following her around like a sad puppy. She needed time to think, she needed to make a plan. She had turned to Gold for protection tonight, but she wasn’t comfortable doing that long-term. She took care of herself, because she was the only person she could count on, nobody else really gave a shit, not even Gold.

“I’m going to bed,” Lacey told him, climbing the stairs without a backwards glance.

She rolled her eyes, hearing Gold walk up after her. He could follow her up if he liked, she would just slam the bedroom door in his face. Lacey clicked the light on in the master bedroom and instantly frowned. There were subtle differences in the room, and her eyes tracked round noting each and every one of them. This had always been her room because the attached bathroom had a bath, whereas Gold’s room only had a shower.

“What the hell?” Lacey whirled round to glare at Gold who was looking apologetic.

“Several months ago things changed, we share a room now but I’ll leave,” Gold offered, brushing past her with the obvious intent of grabbing a few things.

“Don’t bother,” Lacey muttered. Gold turned, a surprised look on his face. She folded her arms and glared at him. “You can stay but just for the night. I’m tired, and I don’t want to deal with you moving your crap now.”

Gold smiled weakly at her. “As you wish.”

Ten minutes later and they were both laying in bed. Lacey stared at the ceiling, beyond irritated by how uncomfortable she felt. Everything just felt wrong, and she didn’t want it to feel wrong, she wanted things to make sense again. She was mad as hell at herself for how scared she felt, and for the growing cracks in her armor. She wasn’t a child, in need of a hug. She shouldn’t want to turn to Gold and bury herself in his arms and let him hold her. That wasn’t the kind of relationship they had.

No, the relationship they had was based on sex.

Lacey rolled over and wriggled closer to Gold. She seductively ran her hand over his chest, wrinkling her nose at the old man pajamas he’d put on. She nipped his neck, tracing her tongue in swirls. She growled, impatient for him to respond, his breathing quickened but he just lay there like a statue.

“Oh come on Gold,” Lacey coaxed. “Fuck me, you know you want to.”

For a moment nothing happened, and then Gold moved, flipping them over in the blink of an eye. Lacey rolled her hips against him, relishing him pressing her into the bed. Yeah, this was what she needed, this is what would make everything make sense again, a good hard fuck. However, instead Gold hovered above her, gently kissing around her mouth, before licking along her lips to beg for entry. Balancing on one hand he stroked down her side and Lacey opened her mouth to complain, to tell him to get on with it, and he captured her mouth with his own.

He kissed her gently, his tongue sliding against hers and it was more sensual than sexual. Lacey pushed at his shoulders, hoping he would take the hint, but he lingered kissing her, before dragging his mouth away from hers to kiss and suck along her neck. With her mouth free, she was about to tell him exactly what she wanted him to do, when a moan was wrenched from her throat. Fuck, he’d hit a spot on her neck she didn’t know she had.

Soothingly he stroked down her sides, before slipping a hand under her nightgown to gently stroke circles around her right breast. Then his other hand moved back up, cupping her head, his fingers twisting in her hair, before his nails scraped over the back of her neck and Lacey bit her lip, so she didn’t moan again. She wanted a hard fuck but damn he had been holding out on her. It felt too good to stop him, even if it did feel dangerously more like making love, than having sex.

His hands moved to the hem of her nightgown and gently he tugged it upwards. Lacey wriggled to help him pull it over her head, feeling much better once she was naked. However, her fleeting hope that he would start touching her properly immediately disappeared, as he seemed intent on taking his time. Gold returned to kissing and sucking her neck, his hand gently trailing around first one breast and then the other, her nipples hardening and begging for attention.

Lacey wriggled, getting a hand in between them. She gripped Gold’s cock, smirking when she heard him moan softly against her neck. She’d lost all control of this encounter, and no matter how good it felt, she couldn’t have that. She stroked him through the pajama trousers, twisting her wrist in the way that she knew he liked.

“Fuck me,” Lacey whispered.

Gold pulled back, so that he was kneeling, his hands moving to the buttons on his pajama top. He only undid the first couple, before growling impatiently and yanking it over his head. Lacey sat up and grabbed the hem of his pajama trousers, pulling them down to his knees. She smirked at the sight of his hard cock, and she reached for it, but Gold shifted away from her.

“Patience,” Gold murmured.

He ran his hands up her legs, and Lacey shifted impatiently, but he made no move to touch her where she wanted him. His mouth then followed his hands and Lacey growled, when he skipped over from her thighs to her stomach. He kissed up her stomach, and then around her breasts before he licked over her right nipple.

“Fuck, Gold,” Lacey swore, as the jolt went straight between her thighs.

She’d never thought her breasts were that sensitive. When they fucked, Gold liked to touch them but she had never really cared. All she had wanted was his cock thrusting deep inside her, as she rubbed her clit until she came. Most of the time she rode him, taking him as hard and fast as she could, and he’d certainly not complained. This was very different and she didn’t like it, it felt fantastic but the world was spinning away from her. This was supposed to make things make sense again, not make it worse.

“Gold, please,” Lacey pleaded, hating herself for begging, even as the words fell from her lips.

Gold’s mouth left her breasts, and he stared intently at her through the gloom. She stared defiantly back and he smiled sadly at her. “Alright sweetheart,” he said soothingly, his hand finally darting down in between her thighs.

The first stroke of his fingers against her folds was electric. Lacey whined and rolled her hips, desperate for friction. Gold kissed her, and she kissed him back. It was a sloppy kiss, but she couldn’t bring herself to care because she finally felt his hard cock against her thigh. Gold grunted, taking himself in hand to line them up, and then he was pressing inside her and she let out a shaky breath - finally.

His hand curled behind her thigh, pulling her leg up and letting him slide deeper. However, even now it still wasn’t right, as he set a leisurely pace. Lacey snaked a hand between them and Gold grabbed it, moving it away and instead his fingers danced against her clit. She moaned against his mouth, feeling the sensations build. She rolled her hips and grabbed at his shoulders, desperate to do something, rather than just let the feelings carry her away.

“You like fucking me Gold? Does it feel good?” Lacey gasped.

She was going to come, she needed to come but she didn’t want to come, not until she made him lose control. Gold groaned deeply and thrust a little harder. Lacey’s eyes crossed, as he hit something inside her that felt fucking fantastic. Her brain was mush, she wanted to whisper filthy words into his ear, but she couldn’t think of any fucking words at all.

“Fuck,” Lacey moaned, her back arching as stars exploded in her mind, the wave of pleasure went on and on, and when she collapsed against the bed she realized Gold had come with her. “Oh fuck.”

Gold chuckled lightly and pulled her into his arms. Unthinkingly Lacey let him, laying her head on his shoulder like they had done this a hundred times before. She felt her heart rate slow, the sweat cooling on her skin. She stiffened, suddenly noticing their position. Gold kissed the top of her head, and she knew that she should move, that she should roll away because this wasn’t right. They weren’t the type of couple that had fantastic sex, and curled up together afterwards. However, Gold was warm and she was drowsy, the sex and the whiskey pulling her eyes closed even without her consent.

*****

Rumplestiltskin could tell when Belle drifted off to sleep, because her breathing changed and she relaxed more into his arms. Tonight had been an unmitigated disaster. While it was true he’d now proven that his magic had worked, and he could now pass over the town line without losing his memories, the cost was far more than he would ever have been willing to pay. Belle had stared at him with such confusion, he had been terrified that her mind had been wiped completely, perhaps as a penalty for having regained her memories before the curse broke.

The sheer relief he’d felt when she had turned to him with recognition, and ordered him to take her home, had been staggering. When she had asked him about the magic, he hadn’t considered for a moment lying to her. Doubtless Miss Swan would have something to say about that, they had wanted to take Belle away to the hospital, and lock her away. They hadn’t done that with the dwarf, however frightened they were about what he might see. It was just because of who _he_ was, and what they feared he might do.

Truthfully they were right to be worried. If it would help Belle, then he would tear this town apart. Fortunately for them, he couldn’t think of a way that would be beneficial, not to mention Belle wouldn’t be pleased when she recovered if he did anything like that. Rumplestiltskin sighed and kissed the top of Belle’s head again. He didn’t know what to do. He had never dealt with Lacey as himself because she had woken first, and the twenty-eight years as Mr. Gold felt distant and out of reach.

He had been surprised when she had invited him to stay, and stunned when she had rolled over and started touching him. He hadn’t known what to do for the best. It had been a traumatic evening, and Belle wasn’t herself, he didn’t want to take advantage. However, it wasn’t that simple, Belle was Lacey, and in Lacey’s mind they were married. The twenty-eight cursed years might be fuzzy, but he remembered enough to know that it was always Lacey that initiated sex. They only ever had sex on her terms, she wouldn’t have been asking if she didn’t want it.

Rumplestiltskin grimaced, the faint stirrings of guilt flaring to life. That sounded like a rationalization, but even now he wasn’t sure whether denying her wouldn’t have been worse. There had been something unsettling in her eyes, like she was searching for something. Besides he’d nearly lost her tonight, so having her in his arms felt like a gift. He had automatically fallen into the slow, gentle lovemaking that Belle generally preferred. He had remembered pretty quickly that wasn’t what Lacey liked, but he wanted to show her that he loved her.

In the back of his mind, the possibility of true loves kiss danced. That would bring Belle back to him, he just needed to make Lacey love him first.


	2. Chapter 2

When Lacey woke up the next morning, for one blissful moment she was drowsy and contented. She was warm, naked in the sheets, her body aching pleasantly from sex. Then the fog of sleep lifted and she remembered the previous evening, or rather didn’t remember the previous who the fuck knows how long. Lacey turned over and curled up tighter in the bed, hiding her face in the pillow. The other side of the bed was cold and empty, Gold had obviously been gone a while. She knew she needed to get up, that staying in bed and pretending the world didn’t exist wasn’t going to help, but damn it was certainly tempting.

Lacey sighed and rolled back over onto her back, glaring at the ceiling. She needed to ask how much time she was missing, and how the fuck magic suddenly became a thing, but she didn’t really want to know. She had always thought she could deal with anything, mostly because she had no choice, she dealt with it or nobody did. Magic changed all the rules and that scared the crap out of her. In one sudden movement, Lacey huffed and rolled out of bed, padding naked over to the closet.

“What the ever living fuck?” Lacey muttered.

The front of the closet was filled with the same kind of outfits, that she had been wearing last night. Lacey snorted in derision, they made her look like some kind of ... librarian or something. That was not her, and if Gold was into that kind of thing then he’d married the wrong girl. She flipped through the rack and smiled, when she spotted all her regular clothes still there. At least whatever the hell had happened in the missing time, hadn’t taken her wardrobe.

She selected a pair of tight black leather pants, and a loose blue sleeveless top, before heading to the bathroom to shower. Forty minutes later, Lacey wandered downstairs. Gold was standing at the kitchen counter, dressed in a suit as usual, and pouring a cup of tea. He looked up as she entered and smiled hesitantly at her. Lacey scowled, she did not need to be treated with kid gloves.

“Good morning sweetheart,” Gold greeted warmly. “Can I get you anything?”

“No,” Lacey said flatly. Gold never got her anything in the kitchen, and she was not about to let him start now. “I can get my own damn poptart.”

“Ah,” Gold breathed, cringing slightly. “We’re out of those.”

“Screw it, coffee will do.” Lacey looked round for the coffeemaker, but it wasn’t on the side like normal. “Where the hell is the coffeemaker?”

“It broke a while ago,” Gold admitted.

“So what I’ve been going to Granny’s for my coffee? You got to be kidding me,” Lacey grumbled. Gold winced and she glared at him in disbelief, seriously what the fuck had been happening in the missing time? She couldn’t avoid it any longer, she had to know. “How much time am I missing?”

Gold sighed. “Just over a year,” he told her reluctantly.

Lacey sucked in a breath, a year was a long fucking time, but everything seemed so damn different, a lifetime wouldn’t explain it. “How did magic become a thing? Is that what made everything so different?”

“A few months, a purple cloud engulfed the town bringing magic along with it. For obvious reasons we’re keeping it quiet, and yes that did change a lot of things,” Gold explained gently.

“Oh,” Lacey muttered, shivering slightly at the implication.

She had seen enough movies to know if the men in dark suits swooped in, then their lives would be over. Keeping magic quiet, was definitely the way to go, she certainly wouldn’t be saying a damn word. Who the hell would believe her anyway? She barely believed herself.

“Lacey ...” Gold hesitated.

“What?” Lacey asked guardedly. It sounded like Gold was about to say something bad, but she really couldn’t think of what could be worse than the current situation, it was already fucked up enough.

“I have to go out for town for a few days,” Gold continued. “I need to find my son.”

“You have a son?” Lacey blurted out in surprise, her jaw dropping before she changed her startled expression into a glare. She’d been married to Gold for a long time, and he’d never mentioned a son before. It was unsettling, and made her wonder what else he was hiding. It felt like the world was spinning even more away from her.

“We’ve been estranged for a long time,” Gold said, his face etched with pain and regret.

Lacey folded her arms and snorted with contempt she didn’t really feel. So Gold was another absentee father, if he wanted pity for his screw-ups he wasn’t going to get it from her. She shifted uncomfortably, unwillingly feeling sympathy. She shot him a disdainful look to hide it and tried to rationalize it away. It was just because he looked pathetic, anyone would feel a twinge of sympathy with him looking like that.

“Damn Gold, how old are you?” Lacey said disparagingly.

Gold’s lips twitched in amusement and Lacey mentally crossed her fingers. She’d taunted him about his age before, and his usual retort was that she didn’t seem to care when his cock was deep inside her. There wasn’t really a comeback to that because it was true. She had married him for money, he had married her for sex, but no amount of money in the world would have made her fuck him if she didn’t enjoy it. She was nobody’s whore.

“Do you want to come with me?” Gold asked.

Lacey shifted uncomfortably. Why couldn’t Gold behave how she expected? So, what they couldn’t even have a normal exchange of insults now? She just wanted something in life to make sense, why did that seem like such a huge ask? It was like Gold was conspiring with the universe to keep her off balance, and she was this close to telling him to fuck off and going to the Rabbit Hole. That dive hadn’t changed in living memory, so a year and some crazy ass magic shit surely wouldn’t have changed anything.

“Where are you going?” Lacey asked reluctantly, curious despite herself.

“New York.” Gold’s expression twisted. “It’s very different from Storybrooke, a chance to ... see the world.”

Lacey pursed her lips as she thought about it, but really it was a no-brainer. She had never left Storybrooke, and never really wanted to, because while it was a dump, it was her dump. Storybrooke never changed, and she knew every corner of it, she knew everyone here and everyone knew her. It was safe and comfortable but that was no longer true. Storybrooke had gone crazy. Gold said magic had engulfed the town, so getting the fuck out of dodge was really appealing. However, he didn’t have to know, that was what she thought. If he wanted her to go, then she could make him work for it and get some control back.

“I don’t know,” Lacey muttered slyly. She gave him a challenging look. “Make it worth my while.”

Gold chuckled. “I believe the phrase is dinner and a show. New York has some of the best shows in the world, and certainly a lot more dining options than just Granny’s.”

“Alright,” Lacey agreed diffidently. “That sounds ... ok I guess.”

*****

Miss Swan was visibly surprised when he pulled up in the Cadillac to collect her and her boy, with Lacey comfortably ensconced next to him in the passenger seat. Rumplestiltskin’s lip curled, was he supposed to have left her behind, ignorant and unprotected? Crossing the town line couldn’t harm her now, the damage had already been done, so there was no reason why Lacey couldn’t accompany him.

That didn’t stop him from tensing as he drove over the orange painted line, or letting out a quiet breath of relief. Bae’s shawl had protected him, and Lacey hadn’t even blinked. Rumplestiltskin ignored Miss Swan whispering to her son in the backseat, and glanced over at Lacey. He swallowed, wishing that things were different and that it was Belle who was with him. He would have liked to ask her to come, but he hadn’t been confident of what he could enchant to protect her.

Belle didn’t have anything like Bae’s shawl that he could have used to make a talisman for her. At least when Belle returned, she would have Lacey’s memories of having visited New York. Belle’s dream was to see the world, and right now this was the best he could do. Perhaps in future they could do more, he hadn’t thought of anything beyond finding Bae, and now didn’t seem the right time to start daydreaming, not when the future was so uncertain.

“This is boring,” Lacey complained, her hand darting up to fiddle with the radio.

Rumplestiltskin grimaced as she skipped through the channels, eventually settling on one that didn’t sound like anything he would call music. There was a pounding quality to it, which reminded him uncomfortably of hearts beating. Lacey nodded her head along to the music and shot a smirk in his direction. He rolled his eyes, half convinced her choice was just an attempt to irritate him. Mr. Gold had preferred classical, which Lacey had always called nails on a chalkboard.

Driving to New York would have taken eight hours, driving to Boston airport took significantly less time, which is why he’d opted to fly rather than drive. However, with the pounding club music, the drive felt interminable. Although, Rumplestiltskin did have to admit the music had it’s compensations, it meant that he didn’t have to try and make awkward conversation. That might have given his mind time to dwell on the upcoming reunion with his son, which was bound to be difficult no matter what. However, he had to concentrate so hard on driving, his worries fell silent in the back of his mind.

He wasn’t a confident driver, only having ever driven around Storybrooke in reality. Another reason why flying to New York, was his transport of choice. Besides, when it came to his son, he reckoned he had probably imagined all the ways it could go wrong already, and he had really imagined some nightmare scenarios. He didn’t think it could be any worse than what he’d dreamed in the dark of the night, but then that could just be a failure of imagination.

The moment they walked into the airport, Rumplestiltskin started to reconsider driving the rest of the way. There were people everywhere, he didn’t think he’d ever seen so many people in the same space, not even at the largest of the King’s balls, or on the most crowded of battlefields. The noise was overwhelming, so many separate conversations in the same space, and then there were the electronic sounds, and the blinking lights, and all the movement of people rushing in all directions.

“This way,” Emma pointed, heading deeper into the airport, Henry by her side.

Rumplestiltskin glanced at Lacey. She was doing her best to look unconcerned but behind the mask of nonchalance, he could see that she was nervous. Storybrooke hadn’t prepared either of them for this, and this was only Boston airport. He could only imagine what New York might be like. It was certainly an experience.

“We need to get our boarding passes first,” Rumplestiltskin said stiffly, gripping his cane tightly in one hand, and dragging his small case behind him with the other.

He hadn’t planned on packing any luggage, and Miss Swan just had a duffel bag between herself and Henry, but having promised Lacey dinner and a show, they both needed proper attire. A small bit of magic, provided them both with small suitcases suitable for a few days in the city. He’d had to surreptitiously increase the size of Lacey’s case three times, because apparently there were a lot of things she just couldn’t do without. Fortunately it still fell under the baggage limit.

“Then let’s go,” Lacey muttered, as if he had been the one holding her back. She strode forward, her head held high. Shaking his head, Rumplestiltskin followed her.

*****

Lacey looked at her boarding pass, which she was crumpling slightly under her tight grip. She was relieved as hell to be out of Storybrooke, back into the real world, and away from all that magic crap. Gold didn’t think she’d noticed, but she had, she knew that he had enlarged her case and it was so damn freaky, Part of her was intrigued by magic, especially as Gold seemed to have power, which made sense because he had always been the most powerful man in town.

What if he could keep her young forever? She’d be all over that, whether magic made her uneasy or not. Perhaps he could teach her, if she had magic then she would have control over it, and then it wouldn’t freak her out. It was not knowing, what magic could and couldn’t do, that scared the crap out of her. How could she protect herself, from something she didn’t understand? Lacey sighed in annoyance, this security line was moving so damn slowly.

“You’ve erm, you got to put your shoes in,” Emma mumbled.

“How terribly uncivilized,” Gold groused.

Lacey rolled her eyes and toed off her heels, flexing her stocking-clad feet on the disgusting carpet tiles. She bent down, and grabbed them, throwing them into the box. Behind her she heard a low whistle, and she turned to glare at the poster boy for mid-life crisis behind her. She knew this skirt rode up when she bent down, and had no doubt given him quite a view, but he didn’t have to be a jackass about it.

“What? I can’t!” Gold exclaimed.

The airport security man gave Gold a very unimpressed look. “Scarf and cane in the basket,” he repeated for the third time.

“It ain’t rocket science, buddy. You never been on a plane before?” The poster boy for mid-life crisis taunted impatiently.

Gold’s eyes flashed and Lacey felt a tug of attraction, at the dangerous vibe Gold was exuding. However, while she would love to watch Gold destroy the idiot, that would probably screw up their plans. This was Boston, not Storybrooke, and Sherriff Graham wouldn’t be here to look the other way because Gold owned his apartment. Lacey moved to Gold’s side, pressing herself against him, and sliding her hand up his chest. If she couldn’t watch Gold beat the crap out of the idiot, then she could certainly make him feel inferior, which would serve him right for leering at her.

“Leave it Gold, we don’t want to miss our flight.” Lacey stretched, missing the inches her heels gave her, and nibbled his ear, smirking at the idiot. “We have plans remember. You, me, our hotel suite.”

“Ewww,” Emma muttered quietly behind her.

“Quite right sweetheart,” Gold agreed easily, and Lacey shot a triumphant grin at the idiot. His face had flashed red, like he was about to burst a blood vessel.

Lacey tugged Gold’s shawl off his shoulders. He had told her why he had to wear the nasty old thing, that there was some kind of spell that wouldn’t let him leave town otherwise, but Storybrooke was miles away, she didn’t really get why it was still important but whatever. Gold stumbled as she dropped the shawl into the box.

She pulled Gold’s cane from his unresisting hand, and placed it with the shawl. Gold staggered forwards, through the metal detector, which thankfully didn’t sound. Emma grabbed for his shawl and wound it round his neck, before mumbling something to him, which Lacey couldn’t hear. Gold muttered something in response and Emma’s worried expression cleared.

“Guys, there’s a Cinnabons here!” Henry exclaimed in delight, dashing off.

Emma went after him, as Lacey went through the metal detector. Gold smiled gratefully at her and Lacey scowled. She had intervened to torment the idiot, and to ensure they actually got on the damn plane to New York, it hadn’t been for Gold’s benefit. However, he was smiling at her in a way that made her really uncomfortable. It was almost like he loved her, and that wasn’t right, their relationship had never been about love. Love was for children, what they had was a deal.

*****

Lacey wrinkled her nose as she got out of the taxi. The driver had parked in a puddle, not that there was much choice in the crowded street. She looked up at the towering apartment block. It was a much smaller building than some of the skyscrapers they’d driven past, but certainly a lot taller than anything in Storybrooke, even the clocktower. The driver hopped out and got their cases out of the trunk. Emma had suggested they stopped at the hotel first but Gold hadn’t wanted the delay.

Her eyes scanned him. Lacey didn’t think she’d ever seen Gold look so apprehensive, and she felt another unwanted stab of sympathy for him. It was his own fault, he’d got himself into this mess by being a shit dad, though to be fair he hadn’t told her what had happened. All he’d said was that they’d been estranged for many years, which was next to useless because she already knew that. Maybe it was something to do with his son’s mother, who Gold hadn’t talked about _ever_ , just like he’d never mentioned his son until now.

It was unsettling, she had thought that she had known Gold. All these revelations, at the same time as losing a year of her memories _and_ all the weird-ass magic stuff, it was a wonder she hadn’t fallen into a bottle of vodka. If she hadn’t been so determined to pretend that it was all cool, then she probably would have done. Honestly, she felt like running but she had nowhere to run to, and this was her life damn it, she wanted it back. Lacey raised an eyebrow at the number of bills Gold absently handed over. By the taxi drivers expression, he was pretty stunned as well but then Gold didn’t look like he was exactly paying attention.

This was going to be all manner of awkward, and she didn’t usually do awkward. Lacey shrugged, Gold wanted her here and he’d promised a night on the town in return. It was a fair deal, and besides she didn’t really mind. There was, her own curiosity which nearly always got her into trouble, and this way she had a front row seat to the drama, which meant Gold wouldn’t be able to lie about it afterwards. Plus she was curious about his son, especially because Gold had _never_ mentioned him before. It really had been like a punch to the gut, how much more didn’t she know about her husband?

Lacey frowned as Emma shot her a wary glance, before looking back down at the buzzers. “So Gold, is his name on here?” Emma asked quietly.

Gold shook his head. “No, nothing looks familiar.”

Emma pointed to an apartment without a name. “Here’s your boy then.” She pressed the buzzer. “UPS package for 407.”

There was a click as the line went dead. Henry winced. “Maybe you should’ve said FedEx.”

“He’s running!” Emma groaned, hearing movement on the fire escape outside. She brushed past Lacey to get to the entrance.

“Miss Swan, that favor you owe me, this is it. Get him to talk to him, I can’t run,” Gold told her, gesturing uselessly with his cane.

“Watch Henry,” Emma barked, before darting off down the street.

Gold sank down onto the bench in the entrance hall, looking utterly defeated. Lacey shifted uncomfortably, and Henry did the same, making Lacey roll her eyes. She had known this would be awkward, but wow this was excruciating. Honestly, if Gold started crying, she was out of here. She had this weird urge to pat him on the shoulder, and tell him everything would be alright, but she didn’t fucking know if it would be or not. She didn’t even know why he and his son had lost touch in the first place.

“There’s a hotdog van down the street,” Henry said hopefully.

“Cool,” Lacey agreed quickly. “You want anything Gold?”

“No,” Gold breathed, shaking his head.

“Ok then,” Lacey muttered, gesturing for Henry to follow her, gratefully escaping the entrance hall and stepping into the bustling street outside.

Part of her wanted to confront Gold and make him tell her everything. He was dragging her into this mess, and she didn’t understand what the hell it was all about. However, sharing secrets was far more intimate than sex, there was a lot she had never told Gold about her life. Her life was her own, and the past was a foreign country. She didn’t like feeling so lost, but she wasn’t going to trade her privacy. If she asked Gold questions, he would fire them straight back, and she wasn’t ok with that.

Lacey took a deep breath. They just had to get through this afternoon, then they could go back to the hotel. Gold and his son could do their own thing tomorrow, even if that was just Gold standing outside the door begging his son to listen to him. This was not her scene, it was way too awkward, she had definitely earned her dinner and the show just from today. Gold had booked the table, and their seats for tomorrow night. Perhaps she would spend the day tomorrow in the spa, the hotel apparently had one and that was something she’d never done. It would probably be boring as hell but Gold had the money, so she might as well try it out.

She reached into her purse and withdrew a few crumpled dollar bills. “Alright, hotdogs, let’s go.”

*****

Lacey didn’t mind Henry. She hated kids normally, they were generally whiny brats, but Henry used to remind her a little of herself. She knew what it was like to have an unloving parent, thanks to dear old dad. Emma Swan creeped Lacey out, she kept giving her odd looks and Lacey didn’t care for it, but Emma seemed to care for Henry and so she was happy for the kid.

Henry’s wide eyed enthusiasm for the hotdog, and the different sights in the city was more refreshing than annoying, though Lacey would deny that if anyone asked. She lingered outside with him, until she saw Emma return. Lacey grimaced, seeing that nobody was with Emma. Gold was going to be pissed, but hey his son lived here, so he would have to come back eventually. Lacey snorted, Gold could sit outside the apartment all night if he wanted, she would head to the comfort of the hotel.

She threw the hotdog wrapper in the trash and rubbed a napkin over her greasy hands, before disposing of that as well. There was no avoiding it now, it was time to face the music. They walked back into the entrance hall, to see Gold randomly pressing on the door buzzers, until the door clicked and opened.

“Gold, what are you doing?” Emma demanded.

“I’m finding my son,” Gold growled, stalking through the door and up the stairs, heading to apartment 407.

“You can’t just break in,” Emma objected.

“I’d save your breath,” Lacey advised, leaning against the wall and watching Gold pick the lock of the apartment. “He’s not going to stop.”

The lock on the apartment door clicked, and Gold pushed the door open, storming inside. Emma gestured helplessly, glaring at Lacey, her eyes imploring her to do something. Lacey just shrugged, there was no stopping Gold when he set his mind to something, it was one of the things she liked about him, how unrelenting he could be. She remembered when Gold had decided that he wanted her, and shivered at the memory.

Lacey glanced around, it was small but surprisingly tidy. Gold’s son obviously inherited his neat freak tendencies from his father. Most guys were slobs but Gold wasn’t, and evidently neither was his son. The apartment was clean and tidy, no dirty socks on the floor or moldy dishes in the sink. Emma wandered past her, and Lacey frowned. Emma looked like she’d seen a ghost, as she stared at the dreamcatcher hanging over the window.

“You find something?” Gold demanded, stomping back out of the bedroom.

“No,” Emma replied unconvincingly.

“No, no, no, you saw something. Tell me!” Gold insisted.

“Or learn to lie a lot better,” Lacey suggested, rolling her eyes at the flicker of emotions playing out on Emma’s face.

“Henry go and wait in the bathroom,” Emma ordered.

“But I can help ...” Henry started to object.

“Henry, go!” Emma yelled.

Henry glared at Emma, and stormed out, muttering angrily under his breath. Lacey leant back against the wall, and folded her arms. She couldn’t blame the kid for being pissed, this was shaping up to be a first rate confrontation. Emma was clearly keeping a secret, and hadn’t she learned by now, that nobody crossed Gold? Emma had made a deal with the man for crying out loud, she really should know better. The tension in the room grew, as Gold glared and Emma grew visibly more uncomfortable.

“Nobody breaks a deal with me,” Gold hissed eventually, breaking the silence, when it became obvious Emma wasn’t going to crack from silence alone.

“Leave her alone!” a male voice bellowed from the apartment doorway.

Lacey turned and blinked. Gold’s son was even older than she had expected, they might even be the same age, which was kinda weird. She had always known Gold was older, though how much older he’d always been pretty tight-lipped about, perhaps this was why.

“Bae,” Gold breathed.

One look at Bae’s thunderous expression, told Lacey this wasn’t going to be a happy reunion. She sighed and slumped back against the wall. A moment ago she had thought she was about to watch a fight between Gold and Emma, and now there was going to be fireworks between Gold and his son. That fight was bound to be a lot more awkward, and a lot less entertaining. Although, Lacey’s sharp eyes picked out Emma’s stricken expression, perhaps there was more to the story than she knew.

It was a bit like watching a table tennis match as Gold and Bae yelled, and then Emma tried to calm things down by calling Bae - Neal, which revealed that Emma and Neal had once known each other. Also, apparently Bae was going by Neal these days, which explained why Gold hadn’t known what name to look for on the buzzers. That was one hell of a revelation, but then Henry’s well-timed appearance just opened an even bigger can of worms.

Lacey suspected Henry had been listening and grown impatient, but from his wide eyes when Emma confirmed Henry was Neal’s son, Henry had not been expecting that. From Gold’s stunned expression, he hadn’t been expecting that either. If Lacey was honest with herself, she was pretty shocked as well, seriously how old _was_ Gold if he had an eleven year old grandson? Also the coincidence was kinda off the charts, not just of Emma and Neal meeting, but how Henry had then wound up in Storybrooke.

However, Lacey was confident that Gold hadn’t known Henry was his grandson, otherwise he never would have allowed the mayor to raise him. Gold might be the town monster, but even he wasn’t that cruel. Henry backed away from Emma, devastation written clearly across his face. He jumped through the window that led to the fire escape. Lacey knew that impulse, he needed air and distance. Emma moved to go after him and Lacey pushed herself off the wall.

“I’ll talk to him,” Lacey offered. “I think he’s kinda pissed at you right now.”

That stopped Emma in her tracks and she made no move to object, as Lacey crawled through the window after Henry.


	3. Chapter 3

Rumplestiltskin stared at Bae, barely able to believe that after so many years, he was finally laying eyes on his beloved boy. He hadn’t known how old Bae would be, as he wasn’t sure how his son had survived the intervening two hundred years. He had known that he would be alive, the seer had predicted that much, and he hadn’t really cared about the rest. Magic could be unpredictable, perhaps Bae had crossed both time and space. It didn’t matter, all that mattered was that they were finally reunited.

“Who _is_ that?” Neal asked.

“Your dad’s girlfriend ... or wife ... your dad’s ...” Emma struggled to answer.

Neal’s jaw dropped slightly and he stared at Rumplestiltskin with disbelieving eyes. “That ... that was your ...”

“True love,” Rumplestiltskin finished. Neal’s eyes widened even further and Rumplestiltskin’s expression twisted. “She’s not usually like that,” he added hastily, surprised at the weariness in his voice. “There was an ... an accident. You’re meeting Lacey, you’ve not met Belle.”

“I don’t understand,” Neal admitted honestly.

Rumplestiltskin glanced at the window and sighed heavily, missing Belle’s support now more than ever. “Neither do I son, perhaps we should start at the beginning.”

*****

“Hey,” Lacey said neutrally, as she clambered up onto the roof after Henry.

Henry’s eyes widened. “Mrs Gold you ...”

“Why don’t you call me Lacey, kid,” Lacey suggested uncomfortably, taking a seat on the ground next to him.

Truthfully she didn’t really know why the hell she’d come out here after him. This whole mess wasn’t really her problem. Yeah, she was married to Gold but they really just fucked, they weren’t a family. However, even just thinking that, the words rang false in her mind. That was what she _wished_ was true, because anything less superficial would have the capability to hurt. That was why generally she preferred to pretend she didn’t give a shit, but while she could lie to others she did try not to lie to herself.

She didn’t like to admit it, but she did care, probably more than she should. It seemed that Henry was now sort of family, and family should take care of their own. The fact that they didn’t most of the time sucked, but Lacey guessed if she was going to hate on people that abandoned their families, she really shouldn’t do the same. Her marriage with Gold might just be a deal, but they were still married.

This was awkward as hell, and she wasn’t really sure why she was still here. It would be easier to run, but for some reason she felt tied to Gold, a far deeper tie than the cold metal of the wedding band on her finger indicated. Lacey felt her heart twist, and she resolved not to think about that too much, it was too damn scary. She had always empathized with Henry for having the cold bitch mayor as his mother, and then she had been pleased for him, that Emma seemed better. However, because he was closer with Emma, that just meant she could hurt him more. In that respect love was weakness.

“So that sucked huh?” Lacey opened.

Henry snorted. “I thought Emma was different, but she’s just like mom. Why does everyone always lie to me?”

“Because people are selfish,” Lacey said bluntly. “Emma was protecting herself, perhaps your dad hurt her or something, I don’t know.”

“Yeah that was mom’s excuse too,” Henry noted bitterly. “That doesn’t make it right.”

Lacey shrugged. “No, but that’s just the way it is. Look kid, the only person who will ever take care of you, is you. People will always lie, people will always disappoint you. What you need to do is decide what you want, and then work out what you need to make it happen.”

Henry’s face screwed up. “I don’t understand.”

“No, you wouldn’t, I’m screwing this up.” Lacey laughed. “I don’t usually do awkward, and this is really fu- ... really awkward. Just give me a minute, and I’ll try again.”

The awkwardness increased as the silence descended. Lacey drummed her fingers against her leg, as she tried to think of a way to better word what she meant. When she had been Henry’s age, she had felt invisible. She had been left alone a lot, because all her dad cared about was work. He provided for her, but he was never fucking there. When she had first started ‘acting out’ as her guidance counselor had termed it, yeah it had been a stereotypical plea for attention. Only it hadn’t worked, and after a while she’d taken a good hard look at herself.

If her dad didn’t give a shit about her, that was fine, she didn’t give a shit about him either. She would care enough about herself, that it didn’t matter. As long as she knew her value, nobody else’s opinion mattered. By that point she’d got herself a reputation, and she’d maintained it because it was useful. It kept people away from her, nobody got close, so nobody could hurt her, like Henry was hurting now. That wasn’t what she was suggesting for the kid, what she was trying to suggest was he decide what he wanted and then demanded it.

So far Emma had been calling the shots on Henry and his dad. She had lied to Henry about him, and now it was Henry’s turn to decide whether he wanted to know his dad or not. Lacey supposed it was a bit like when she had decided that she wanted Gold. He hadn’t known she existed until then, but he was the most eligible guy in town and he was her ticket to a better life. She had thought she would need to pursue him, but once he noticed her, it had been Gold that had pursued her, a fact that still thrilled her. However, the point was, she’d decided what she wanted and then she’d made it happen.

“Before you go back in there, you need to decide whether you want a relationship with your dad or not. Don’t let Emma, or anyone else decide for you. This is your show,” Lacey told him firmly.

Henry nodded. “Thanks Mrs Gold ... I mean, thanks Lacey.” He smiled and his eyes danced with mischief. Lacey gave him a wary glance. “Although, I guess if Mr. Gold is my grandpa, then that would make you ...”

“Don’t say it,” Lacey growled dangerously, shivering in disgust. “I am far too young.”

*****

Rumplestiltskin saw Henry frown the moment he climbed through the window, and saw that Emma wasn’t there. Emma had left to give him and Bae - or Neal as he preferred to be called, some privacy. She was probably lingering in the hallway, he hadn’t cared enough to check. Rumplestiltskin ran his eyes over Henry, amazed that he’d never consciously noticed the resemblance before.

He had always had a slight soft spot for Henry, even as Mr. Gold, perhaps because subconsciously he had recognized the similarities between Henry and Bae. However, now he knew that Henry was his grandson that changed _everything_. The seers words about the boy being his undoing, echoed in his mind. At the time he had rashly declared that he would just ‘kill him’ but undoing or not, Henry was his grandson, he was family and he would have to be very weak indeed to even contemplate harming him.

“So ... Lacey,” Neal said awkwardly. He thrust his hand towards her. “Nice to meet you I guess.”

“Likewise,” Lacey drawled uncomfortably, eyeing the hand that was offered and ignoring it, until Neal dropped it back to his side.

Rumplestiltskin moved closer, he could see Lacey was shivering. It was cold outside and her tight red jacket wasn’t warm enough for the weather. She had never worn weather appropriate attire as Lacey, choosing style over comfort. It was only in the privacy of their home that she had ever let that choice slip. A couple of times he had come home early, to find her lounging around in an oversized sweater.

It was his secret, because even as Mr. Gold he had never let her know that he had seen her. In that, he and his cursed persona were of the same mind, Lacey had looked so much smaller and more vulnerable with her fashion stripped away. Mr. Gold’s heart had ached for her, even while denying that he loved her, not even the dark curse could completely suppress true love. It was what he was counting on to bring Belle back to him.

He wrapped his arm around Lacey, pulling her close to share his warmth. Lacey tensed as she always did, before giving in and pressing herself against him. It was a perfectly innocent embrace but Neal blinked like he was watching a car wreck, his eyes sliding away from them before snapping back, grimacing and looking away again. It was awkward, but despite that Rumplestiltskin was beyond grateful that he had brought Lacey with him.

Explaining about Lacey - about Belle, had broken the ice. Bae’s disbelief that they could be true love had hurt, especially when he had added _‘I didn’t think you were capable of feeling love’_. Rumplestiltskin had felt almost like the wind was taken from his sails. How could Bae believe that? His heart couldn’t have hurt more, than if Bae had pulled it from his chest and crushed it in his hand. Had his son really spent the time they’d been apart, believing that he didn’t love him?

That was when he had said _‘I always loved you’_ , with such sincerity that Emma had silently left. Bae’s anger had faded away, and Rumplestiltskin wondered if his son felt the same bone-deep weariness that he felt. It was all such a mess, there was so much pain and regret between them. They still had a lot to talk about but at least Bae seemed willing to talk, which hadn’t been the case when he had first burst into the apartment.

“So what happens now?” Neal asked.

Henry glanced at Lacey, and Rumplestiltskin frowned, as he wondered what Lacey had said to him. His curiosity deepened when Henry gave Lacey a firm, decisive nod. He had been surprised when Lacey had gone to talk with Henry. Not because she had gone, he knew that while Lacey pretended she didn’t care, that she actually had a big heart. He had been surprised because Lacey had been willing to show that she cared for a change. That was Belle’s compassion coming to the surface, her natural empathy overwhelming Lacey’s prickly self-defenses.

“Are you and Mr. Gold done talking?” Henry checked. He bit his lip. “Because I have a few questions.”

“Sure kid,” Neal said softly. Rumplestiltskin’s heart ached for his son, he could see the regret etched on Bae’s face clear as day, and that was a pain he wouldn’t wish on his worst enemy, let alone his son. “You want to talk outside?”

“Ok,” Henry agreed, climbing back out onto the fire escape again.

He folded his arms and leant against the edge, looking at the city street. Neal followed him and Rumplestiltskin’s heart skipped a beat, seeing his son and grandson adopt the same pose as they started talking for the first time.

“Are you alright?” Rumplestiltskin murmured.

“Shouldn’t that be my line?” Lacey said sarcastically. She took a step away from him, folding her arms defensively, and tossed her hair back. “So we going to head to the hotel soon or what? I’m starving.”

Rumplestiltskin nodded. Now he had found Bae, part of him didn’t want to let Bae leave his sight for a second. However, his son was a grown man, with a son of his own. Bae had his own life here in New York. It had been on the tip of his tongue, to ask Bae if he could wind the clock back so that he was a boy once more, and they could start again. It was what he wanted, to pretend like the last couple of hundred years hadn’t happened.

However, they had and as much as it hurt, he needed to learn to accept that. Bae needed time, and to be honest he did as well. At least because of Henry, he could be certain that Bae wouldn’t disappear. Bae might never have agreed to come to Storybrooke for him, but he might agree for Henry. Even if it was just for a visit, thanks to Henry, he had a guarantee that he wasn’t going to lose Bae again.

“Yes we’ll leave soon,” Rumplestiltskin promised. “Tomorrow is another day.”

*****

It wasn’t that late when they got back to the hotel. However, Lacey certainly felt like it should be later than it was. She was starving, tired and out of sorts. The day had been acutely uncomfortable, and awkward, and not for the reasons she had anticipated. Gold was ... hell she didn’t even really know, he was confusing her so much.

“Two rooms under the name of Gold,” Gold told the hotel receptionist.

“One moment sir.” the receptionist tapped away at the computer. “That is a standard twin room, and a luxury suite.”

“Yes,” Gold confirmed impatiently.

Lacey tapped her heel on the tiled floor, bored waiting. If this was Granny’s she would just have given them a key already. Instead both Gold and Emma had to fill out a form for their rooms, it was kinda crazy but then this was a nice hotel. Lacey knew she had never stayed anywhere this nice, although she hadn’t really stayed anywhere. Finally, the receptionist handed Gold and Emma their keycards, and the four of them moved to the elevator bank.

“We’re on five kid,” Emma told Henry, as he was standing next to the buttons.

“Twenty,” Gold said, managing a smile for his grandson.

The whole grandson thing was still freaking Lacey out, and she was relieved when Henry and Emma left the elevator. They rode the rest of the way in silence, and Lacey followed Gold down the corridor towards their room. He opened the door and she let loose a low whistle - luxury suite indeed. The door into the room opened into a living room. Half of the room was dominated by the couch and large TV, the other half had a dining table.

To her right was a door into the bathroom, the door was fully open, allowing her to see the expanse of marble, large Jacuzzi bath and separate shower. Then there was a set of sliding double doors, which were also open, showing the massive bed with a stupid number of pillows all over it. Honestly, the place was bigger than most apartments, bigger than Neal’s apartment in fact. Lacey bit her lip and looked speculatively at Gold.

“Very nice,” Lacey murmured.

“Well the trip might be awkward, so I thought we should at least be comfortable,” Gold said dryly. “Do you want to go out for dinner?”

“No.” Lacey shook her head. “You promised me dinner and a show tomorrow. Let’s get room service tonight.”

“Of course,” Gold agreed. He glanced around. “There should be a menu here somewhere.”

He turned, and Lacey gripped his tie, using it as a leash to pull him towards her. She pressed her lips firmly against his, and licked. Gold’s mouth opened and she thrust her tongue inside, sucking on his bottom lip. He groaned and she felt his arms wrap around her. Lacey let go of his tie, putting her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, rubbing herself against him. She hadn’t intended to do this, she was starving for actual food, but fuck she needed him more.

That feeling should scare her, and it did, but right now she was too desperate for him to care. The day had been weird and they always did this. Her thought from the night everything changed came back to her, a good hard fuck would make the world make sense again. Lacey moved her hand down, slipping it between them, grateful that Gold had forgone a belt today. Deftly she unbuttoned his trousers, and lowered the zip.

“Lacey,” Gold moaned, as her hand gripped his cock.

She shivered at the raw desire in his voice, rubbing her thighs together. Lacey stumbled backwards, it was the work of a moment to send her skirt and underwear to the ground. She stepped out of them and her heels, and tugged at Gold’s trousers and boxers, sending them down to pool around his ankles. He was still wearing his shoes but that didn’t matter, they weren’t going anywhere. The couch was directly behind him. Lacey pushed past him and draped herself over the arm, glancing back over her shoulder at Gold’s slack-jawed expression.

“Fuck me Gold, don’t be gentle,” Lacey coaxed, wiggling her arse in encouragement.

“Sweetheart,” Gold breathed, his eyes darting towards the bed in the other room.

“Later,” Lacey said impatiently. “Round two, in bed, after dinner, ok?”

“Ok,” Gold agreed hoarsely.

Lacey looked down at the couch. She could hear Gold moving, likely shrugging off his jacket and waistcoat, but she couldn’t see him. She wouldn’t know precisely when he was going to fuck her. She bit her lip and rocked her hips, feeling slick and hot. This delay was just bordering on the right side of pleasurable, increasing the anticipation. Fuck she wanted him inside her. Perhaps it was to remind herself, that even if he was a freaking grandfather, he was still her man. Maybe it was just to make her mind go blank, and stop the weird uncomfortable feeling under her skin.

“Fuck,” Lacey swore, as Gold’s fingers slipped in between her legs. He stroked her gently, spreading her wetness, there was a buzzing in her ears, it felt good but it wasn’t enough. “Stop fucking teasing and fuck me already!”

The next thing she felt was the blunt head of Gold’s cock, as he pressed against her. Lacey rolled her hips, trying to get him inside. The tip of his cock nudged against her clit, as he slid back and forth. She bit back a moan, unwilling to give him the satisfaction until he gave her what she wanted. Just when she was about to snap at him again, he finally thrust inside her, burying himself to the hilt in a single move.

Lacey groaned deeply, he felt so good inside her, he always did. Gold pulled out to the tip, before slamming back in and she actually whined, a noise she would deny she made later. The thick press of him inside, he was hitting all the right spots. He set a punishing rhythm and Lacey felt herself tighten around him. She maneuvered her hand down, and one brief brush against her clit was all it took for her to see stars.

“Fuck,” Gold choked, jerking against her as he came.

He slumped against her, panting with exertion, before his softened cock slipped out of her and he stumbled back. Lacey was boneless, laying over the arm of the couch. That had been just what she needed. It was almost a shame she had to move but as the buzz started to wear off, she realized how uncomfortable she was, with the arm of the couch digging into her ribs. She stood up, feeling their mingled fluids slide down her thigh.

Lacey turned, and grabbed Gold’s tie again, pulling him towards her for another bruising kiss. “I’m going to take a shower, while you order us some food.” Her smile turned sultry. “You need to keep your strength up for later.”

*****

The next day Gold was up and out early. Lacey watched him dress through heavy lidded eyes, still curled up in the sheets of the hotel bed. After their quick fuck over the arm of the couch, they’d had room service. Lacey had demolished the steak Gold had ordered for her. She’d enjoyed the shower she’d taken, it was even better than her shower at home, there were so many nozzles and the water pressure was fantastic. It had given her so many ideas, she was almost sorry that she’d taken the shower alone, it would have been so much better with Gold.

She’d almost pulled him into the bathroom after dinner, but he’d gently pulled her to the bed. Round two had been soft, and lingering, and fucking fantastic but had left her disquieted. During her year of missing memories something had changed. She had been trying to deny it because it made her uncomfortable, but it was getting impossible to ignore. Gold touched her now like he loved her, like he cared about her, and the way he looked at her, it was like he was seeing _her_ and not just the mask she offered the world.

“I’ll be back in plenty of time for our dinner reservations at six,” Gold promised. “It’s curtain up at eight, and the restaurant isn’t far from the theatre, so we shouldn’t have to rush.”

“Whatever,” Lacey said flippantly.

She shifted uncomfortably, feeling the awkwardness start to creep in. What exactly should she say to Gold right now? Good luck? Gold hesitated at the opening between the bedroom and the living room area of the suite, his fingers rubbing together on top of his cane. Lacey chewed on her bottom lip, if he didn’t have to go play nice with his kid, she would definitely be dragging Gold back into bed right now just to defuse the awkwardness in the air. Gold appeared to reach a decision and strode forward, moving around the bed to her side.

“See you later sweetheart,” Gold murmured, bending down to kiss her gently.

Lacey’s face twisted as her stomach clenched. That wasn’t them, they didn’t do ‘goodbye kisses’. She grabbed his tie and pulled him back down for a more passionate kiss, giving him a saucy smile when he moved back.

“Just putting you in the right frame of mind for later,” Lacey said with fake nonchalance.

Gold smiled sadly at her and nodded. Lacey watched him leave, and then heard the thud of the hotel door. Their relationship had always been based on sex, she had thought that if she turned it back to sex then it would feel more normal, but Gold seemed determined to always be different. Lacey twisted her hands into the sheets, clenching her fists and sighing in irritation. She had been planning on going back to sleep before heading down to the spa but she was too out of sorts to do anything but toss and turn.

With bad grace Lacey rolled out of bed, padding naked over to the closet before shrugging and turning towards the bathroom to grab one of the complimentary robes. Gold had ordered her an all-day pass late last night, after she had told him her plans, so she might as well head down and see what the hotel was offering. Lacey headed for the door before having second thoughts and returning to grab some underwear, this was a classy place after all.

Five minutes later and she was inside the spa, the hot humid air carried the smell of various spices from the different sauna options. She looked down the ‘menu’ as the spa called it, for all the services they offered. The receptionist had helpfully informed her that the pass her husband had arranged, entitled her to any of the services but truthfully she didn’t really understand what half of them were, or why they would be good.

For the first time Gold’s money had bought her entry into somewhere she didn’t fit in, and she wasn’t certain she could pretend, this had never been a problem in Storybrooke. However, if there was anything that she did well, it was bluff, she’d spent a good chunk of her life catering to people’s expectations about her. Besides, if these snobby hotel spa people didn’t like it then screw them, Gold was paying the bill for this anyway.

“What do you recommend?” Lacey asked loftily, raising an eyebrow and just daring the receptionist to judge her.

The receptionist smiled warmly and launched into a spiel, most of which made Lacey roll her eyes, but she selected a massage and an exfoliant treatment, and agreed to try the sauna. Looking through into the sauna part of the spa, there were lots of loungers and even some weird spherical hanging chairs. Lacey snorted, as it made her think of a sex swing. Idly she wondered if anyone had ever tried that, maybe the staff after hours, it was the sort of thing she might have thought about doing after a few drinks.

Having decided what to try, Lacey wasn’t really in the mood to wait. Fortunately, the spa wasn’t busy and so within ten minutes she was laying on the massage table. The masseuse was female and had skilled hands. Soon enough Lacey was boneless, as all the tension of the last few weird-ass days was removed. Her mind floated along in a blissful daze, until she startled herself by wondering if Gold gave good massages.

They had fucked more in the past few days than was normal, so perhaps that was why she had a one-track mind at the moment. However, a massage didn’t have to be sexual, the one she was currently enjoying certainly wasn’t. Her mind had just jumped to ‘Gold has good hands’ and the thought disturbed her. Their relationship was based on sex, it was something that she had repeated to herself over and over the last few days.

The massage finished and Lacey moved into the general spa area. She tried a sauna but only lasted a few minutes. She liked hot and steamy showers, but dry heat or wet heat, the sauna was just too stifling and she felt like she couldn’t breathe. There wasn’t a free exfoliant appointment until later, so Lacey laid down on one of the loungers. After a minute she snorted to herself, she had thought that the spa would be boring as hell and it seemed she was right.

Her mind wandered again, back to Gold and the confusing feelings he was provoking within her. Though maybe it wasn’t so confusing as she could justify it. It was the missing year of memories, and the weird-ass magic crap is all, it was putting her at a disadvantage. She was having to rely on Gold and she hated that, she hated being vulnerable to anybody. Perhaps she just needed to balance the scales, do something _for_ him and that would put them back on even ground again.

Lacey smirked, as the obvious came to mind. She got a good life and he got sex, so sucking him off was a perfect way to balance the power between them. She chewed on her bottom lip, just sucking him off wasn’t enough, she wanted to absolutely blow his mind. Impulsively Lacey stood up, deciding to head up to the room but once she left the spa, she veered towards the front desk.

“I need to use the internet but I didn’t bring a laptop,” Lacey said bluntly.

“Room number?” the receptionist asked politely.

“Luxury suite twelve, floor twenty.” Lacey handed over her keycard as proof. She mentally rolled her eyes as the receptionist went from polite but frosty, to practically fawning over her, once she’d confirmed Lacey had money.

“For our special guests we have laptops available to borrow, so we can cater to our guests every need. Shall I have one sent up?” the receptionist asked.

Lacey nodded. “Yeah.”

“It’ll be a few minutes,” the receptionist apologized.

“Whatever,” Lacey said flippantly, heading for the elevator bank.

She hadn’t been back in the room five minutes before there was a discrete knock at the door, and a young room service man handed her the laptop she had requested. The moment the door was closed again, Lacey burst out laughing. Considering the number of lonely business men, she was certain she wasn’t the first to search for X-rated material on these laptops, but it still struck her as funny. She put the laptop on the small dining table and sat cross-legged on the chair as she waited for it to boot.

When she clicked on the internet browser, she started snickering again, but this time it was imagining the expressions of the idiots at the Rabbit Hole, if they knew ‘Racy Lacey’ was looking up blow-job tips on the internet. Those fools had no idea. While she might have a reputation, her experience didn’t match it, not that she would ever admit that. Lacey smirked and flexed her fingers, biting her tongue, her eyes sparkling as she imagined what to put in the search box.

“How to blow his mind with a blow-job,” Lacey muttered to herself, as she typed in those words.

She laughed at the results, which each promised a different number of tips. She shrugged, and opened up a bunch of tabs as she clicked on each link one by one. It wasn’t like she had any other plans for the day. There were still hours yet before she had to get ready for her promised dinner and a show. Gold wasn’t going to know what hit him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic got nominated for the TEA’s! It’s up for Best Lacey. I’m still stunned, and honored, and speechless really. Honestly you guys are so lovely! Just thank you so much. Anyway, this chapter is why I started writing this fic. I was supposed to be for the Monthly Rumbelling prompt back in *cough* November. It might be extremely late but I hope you’ll enjoy it! :)

Rumplestiltskin was no stranger to feeling unwanted, or like he was intruding. As the village coward, he was always in someone’s way. He had tried to be as invisible as possible because their loathing of him, only increased his loathing of himself. As the Dark One it was different, he had relished making people feel uncomfortable, it had made him feel even more powerful. He had always known that reuniting with Bae would be difficult, and awkward, but he had never imagined feeling like the third wheel.

It was perfectly understandable; Bae wanted to focus on Henry, his own son. Rumplestiltskin understood that and supported that. Bae was having to face the fact that he’d missed eleven years of his son’s life, and those were years that he would never get back. It was a pain Rumplestiltskin knew well, and something that he wouldn’t have wished on his worst enemy let alone his beloved boy. However, as he trailed behind Bae, Emma and Henry, Rumplestiltskin couldn’t help but wonder whether Bae’s complete focus on Henry was also a avoidance tactic. They’d broken the ice yesterday but there was still so much left unsaid, and a couple of centuries of pain and regret between them.

Belle would have known. She would have been calm and logical, and talked him out of the negative spiraling thoughts that were swirling around his mind, but Belle wasn’t here. Rumplestiltskin didn’t know whether he was sad or relieved that Lacey had opted to stay at the hotel today. Lacey wasn’t Belle, and she could well have made this situation worse, but she would have been company and a distraction. He hadn’t felt this alone since before the dark curse. Ever since he’d woken in this world, Belle had been by his side and he missed her.

“Mr Gold?”

Rumplestiltskin blinked. While he’d been lost in his morose thoughts, he’d missed Henry dropping back to walk alongside him, rather than alongside his parents. Henry was looking at him expectantly, his head cocked to one side, and Rumplestiltskin heard the prophecy echo around his head once more. This boy was his undoing, but he was also his grandson, and he didn’t know how to deal with that. It was terrifying. He couldn’t hurt the boy, but he didn’t want to die.

“Yes Henry?” Rumplestiltskin managed.

“If my dad is your son, does that mean I should call you Grandpa now?” Henry asked easily.

Rumplestiltskin felt his throat close up. He wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. The first time anyone heard Henry address him like that, their expressions were bound to be priceless. The grandson of Snow White and Prince Charming, was also the grandson of the Dark One. It was a tangled family tree his son, and Miss Swan, had inadvertently made for them all.

“If you’d like,” Rumplestiltskin said carefully, trying to imagine what Belle would think he should say.

It was like navigating a minefield, even leaving aside the prophecy it was difficult. Family meant everything to him, but then everyone he loved left in the end. Henry had to choose whether he wanted a relationship with him or not. He suspected that Henry’s maternal grandparents would try and dissuade him, Miss Swan was more of a question mark, but Bae was unlikely to support his son bonding with him. Bae would be all too aware of how he could hurt Henry, Bae wouldn’t want his son to suffer like he had.

“You _are_ my grandson but ...” Rumplestiltskin paused and glanced ahead, but Bae and Emma didn’t appear to be paying any attention. “It has to be your choice.”

“That’s what Mrs Gold told me,” Henry said, with a thoughtful look on his face. “I always wanted more family, now I’ve got even more than I ever thought I’d have.”

Rumplestiltskin swallowed the lump of emotion that threatened to choke him. “Yes well ...”

“Mrs Gold?” Neal stopped, and turned. He arched an eyebrow, a wry smile on his face. “You know I still don’t quite get that.”

“I am Mr Gold in this world and we were married under the curse.” Rumplestiltskin shrugged. “After the curse broke I suggested we got married for real and Belle disagreed, she said we were already married. Belle thought it would be if we renewed our vows but she wanted to wait until after I’d found you.”

Rumplestiltskin stepped to one side, they were blocking the sidewalk and in New York that was never a good idea. Henry gestured to a bench that wasn’t far away, and by mutual silent consent they headed for it. Rumplestiltskin was too relieved that Bae was finally talking to him, to mind his choice of subject matter. He knew Bae was still struggling with the idea, that despite being the Dark One, his father had found true love. It was hard enough for him to believe Belle loved him some days.

“No, that’s not what I don’t get.” Neal shook his head. “You were married to Lacey for twenty-eight years ...”

“I was married to Belle,” Rumplestiltskin corrected. “Lacey _is_ Belle, and I _will_ bring Belle back.”

“Yeah, _that’s_ what I don’t get,” Neal said emphatically. “I listened to you explain it all yesterday, about the cursed persona and everything. You said that maybe true loves kiss would bring Belle back, all you talked about was bringing Belle back.”

“You’ll love her Bae,” Rumplestiltskin said, his expression softening. His son might hate him, but he couldn’t imagine anyone hating Belle.

“That’s not what I’m saying,” Neal said exasperatedly. “You keep going on about bringing Belle back, but what does that say about Lacey? She’s just as real.”

“She’s not, she’s...” Rumplestiltskin trailed off.

He was arguing instinctively because he didn’t want Bae to be right, but he’d lived for twenty-eight years as a cursed persona so he couldn’t deny the truth. Lacey was part of Belle, some parts of Belle’s personality had been suppressed and others were emphasized, but at her core she was the same. Lacey had a different origin story, one which fit this world, and _crucially_ she had no idea that she was a cursed persona. Lacey would feel that she was a real person, so in a way Bae was right; by bringing Belle back, he was erasing Lacey from existence.

Lacey would live on in the back of Belle’s mind, because Belle wouldn’t forget the life she’d never led or the memories she’d made as Lacey, just as he had the life and memories of Mr Gold in his mind. That wasn’t the same as living as Mr Gold, but ultimately though it didn’t matter. They could argue real or not real all day, but Lacey _was_ a cursed persona, and Belle was the ‘ _real_ persona’, and all curses were made to be broken. Rumplestiltskin stared at Bae, trying to work out why this was important to him, or why Bae had even considered the issue.

Rumplestiltskin sighed, he didn’t really know what to say, but Belle would want him to be truthful which gave him a place to start. “I never dealt with Lacey as myself before this. Belle woke from the dark curse before I did.” Bae scowled and he hurried to continue, a parade of memories of Lacey flashing across his mind. “My cursed self would have denied it, but he loved Lacey and I can understand why.”

Bae narrowed his eyes. Rumplestiltskin shifted, hoping that whatever Bae was looking for in his expression, that he’d find it. Eventually Bae nodded, and Rumplestiltskin breathed a silent sigh of relief. He didn’t know what test he’d just taken, but it appeared he might have passed it. Bae started talking with Henry about where he’d like to go next, and Rumplestiltskin allowed his mind to wander back to Lacey and to their plans for this evening.

It was all about setting the stage for true loves kiss. That was his goal, no matter what Bae said, and Rumplestiltskin still didn’t understand what point Bae had been trying to make. Bae had always been protective of others, and perhaps because he’d only met Lacey and not Belle, Bae was trying to protect Lacey from him. Rumplestiltskin got to his feet and resumed following Bae, Emma and Henry down the sidewalk. Bae just didn’t understand the situation, if he did then he wouldn’t be arguing against Belle’s return.

Belle made him want to be the best possible version of himself, whereas Lacey had always encouraged his darker side, and Rumplestiltskin knew he was playing with fire. He didn’t want to drive Lacey away, but he had to stay the man Belle believed he could be, the kind of man maybe Bae would forgive one day. However, it didn’t matter, because no matter what happened, even if the Belle’s curse didn’t break and Lacey was here to stay, Rumplestiltskin wasn’t about to start pretending he didn’t love her.

He’d made that mistake once, when he threw Belle out of the dark castle, it wasn’t a mistake he was going to make again. In whatever world they were in, no matter what curse they were under, Rumplestiltskin needed Belle to know he loved her. Perhaps that was the point Bae had been trying to make. Rumplestiltskin needed to love all of Belle, even the parts that belonged to Lacey, otherwise it wasn’t true love. If that was the case then Bae didn’t need to have bothered because Rumplestiltskin already loved Lacey. The shepherd had been right enough about that - they were both, and that wasn’t a single thing Rumplestiltskin didn’t love about Belle.

*****

That evening, Lacey pressed herself against Gold, slipping her hand inside his suit jacket, watching the lights on the elevator buttons change as they went back to their floor. They’d been out for the promised dinner and a show. The dinner had been something of a disaster, but that had just been the stupid pretentious restaurant. Honestly, while Lacey loved to blast Granny’s, at least there you got decent portions. She had never seen such a tiny amount of food, for such an insane amount of money, and that wasn’t even taking into account all the stupid forks.

Gold had tried to make light of it, by saying that it was an experience. Then he’d got a wistful expression on his face which had made her uncomfortable. She had got her own back by dragging him to a food cart before the show, she’d been starving. While dinner had sucked, the show had been amazing. Gold had made a good choice there. All the lights, and the music and the dancing, she had barely noticed the time fly past. She usually struggled to watch movies all the way through because she got bored. However, the show had just grabbed her from the moment the curtain went up. She had fucking loved it, far more than she had thought she would.

A moment later the doors dinged and opened. Gold smiled softly at her and they started walking, Lacey kept a grip on his arm as they continued down the corridor back to their suite. It was kinda late but she hoped Gold wasn’t too tired, because she was buzzing. She didn’t need to thank him for tonight, this had been his thank you to her, for coming with him on this awkward as hell trip. However, she _wanted_ to thank him. Just like she had decided earlier, she needed to balance the scales, and make them even again. Lacey clenched her thighs together, she was already wet in anticipation, she had thinking about it in the taxi all the way back to the hotel.

Gold put the card in the door, and unlocked the room. Lacey followed him inside, discarding her purse on the rooms desk next to the hotel phone, and kicking off her heels. She reached behind her, contorting uncomfortably to pull her zipper down, letting her dress fall and pool at her feet. Gold turned, his eyes widening slightly at seeing her just in her underwear.

“I’ll take that,” Lacey murmured, pulling his cane from his grip, and tossing it out of the way.

She pushed his jacket off his shoulders and threw it in the direction of the couch. It landed on the seat and then slid off onto the floor. Her hands moved to his tie next, attacking the knot and then slipping the material through his shirt collar. Lacey shivered at the sound it made, her nimble fingers undoing the shirt buttons next. She bent her head, kissing every inch of the skin she revealed, until the shirt was hanging open. There were two armchairs angled next to the couch, and it was to one of those that Lacey maneuvered Gold.

Gold shrugged the shirt off as Lacey undid the button on his trousers, pulling them and his boxers down in one movement. She frowned, and huffed in annoyance, realizing that his shoes were going to be a problem. She dropped to her knees and undid the laces. Gold lightly placed a hand on her shoulder for balance, as she pulled his shoes and socks off, and helped him step out of his clothes, leaving him utterly naked. She rose back to her feet.

“Lacey,” Gold breathed, the first words he’d spoken since they entered the room.

“Sit down,” Lacey murmured, pushing his chest lightly.

He stumbled back, falling into the armchair behind him. She dropped back down onto her knees, and ran her fingers over his thighs, lightly scratching with her nails. Gold groaned and his cock twitched. He was barely half-hard yet, but that was alright, she could work with that. She pressed her lips against his stomach, alternating soft kisses with slow, lingering swipes of her tongue as she moved from his stomach to his thigh, before swapping legs and moving back up again.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d sucked him off, and she was planning on drawing this out, so that _he_ would definitely remember it. Lacey cupped his balls, rolling them in her left hand, as she finally curled her other hand around his length. Gold whimpered and she bent her head, sliding his cock between her lips, mindful of her teeth. She curled her tongue round him and Gold let out an agonizing moan.

“Fuck, sweetheart,” Gold gasped.

Lacey looked up, seeing him throw his head back and close his eyes. She could feel him getting harder in her mouth, and she pulled back, bathing him with her tongue. She alternated long strong licks, with light flickers of her tongue and Gold’s breathing hitched. His hand groped the air for a moment, before gripping the side of the chair firmly, his knuckles turning white. Lacey stroked him with her hand for a moment, waiting until he looked at her. He met her eyes and she slid his cock back into her mouth.

Gold groaned and Lacey hummed lightly, rolling her hips hoping to get some friction where she needed it the most. She was so fucking turned on, she could barely stand it. She wanted to stand up, straddle him, and sink down, taking his cock deep inside her. She needed it, she needed him, but fuck she was enjoying this as well. She liked him to need _her_ , she liked hearing him moan because of her, knowing that she was the only one that brought him this pleasure.

His cock slipped deeper into her mouth, and then even deeper. It hit the back of her mouth and she almost gagged, and had to pull back. Lacey mentally growled at herself, this shouldn’t be this difficult, she’d read the tips, she just needed to relax her throat and it would feel fucking amazing for him. Slowly, Lacey took Gold’s cock deeper again, took a deep breath and swallowed as she pushed her head down. Her eyes watered and she choked, falling back, his cock slipping out of her mouth as she coughed.

Gold leant forward in concern. “Are you alright, sweetheart?” he asked urgently.

“Why do they make this look easy in all those porn movies?!” Lacey complained. “This hurts like fuck!”

“You don’t have to do anything,” Gold said quickly.

Lacey snorted. Gold was sitting butt naked, his hard cock bobbing between his legs, and he was saying she didn’t have to do anything. In the past she might have mocked him for it, for letting his mask slip a little. She had always preferred Gold when he was being a bastard, and despised his occasional flashes of insecurity. She didn’t like to see his weakness, it reminded her far too much of her own. However, these days her mask was feeling almost like it was about to crumble to dust. If she mocked him, then he could fire it straight back and her defenses were currently weak.

“What do you want sweetheart?” Gold asked hoarsely.

There was an odd inflection to his tone that made Lacey feel uneasy. His expression had turned wistful again, making it look and sound as if he loved her. For what felt like the hundredth time in the last few days, Lacey wondered what the hell had happened in the missing year? Everything she had learned in the couple of days before they left Storybrooke, made it sound like she’d been a different person. However, beyond that, there was her relationship with Gold. They had even started to share a room, but really it wasn’t just one thing between them, it was everything. Lacey chewed on her lip, maybe he did love her.

She didn’t know how that had happened, how they had gone from a deal to love, or what she had felt for him. Had she loved him back? She rose to her feet and unhooked her bra, and then pushed down her thong, stepping it out of it, leaving her as naked as Gold. She didn’t want to think about love right now, she wasn’t ready for that. She didn’t know what she felt and she was scared to death to think about it too deeply. What if she did love him? What would that mean?

“I want you to fuck me,” Lacey said boldly.

Gold pushed himself up from the chair and moved in front of her. His hands skimmed her sides, as he pressed his forehead against hers. Lacey could feel his warm breath against her face and she shivered at the intensity, at the intimacy of the moment. Her hand shot down and grasped his cock, giving him a teasing stroke to remind him of who they were, and what they were doing. Gold groaned softly and his hands tensed at her sides, but he made no move to touch her.

“I would rather make love to you,” Gold whispered. “Let me love you Lacey, please.”

Lacey swallowed hard, she tensed, her heart pounding in her ears. This was wrong, love had never been part of the deal. She wanted to run, to put distance between herself and Gold, but in a bizarre way, despite this being very wrong, it felt very right. Lacey tossed her hair, to cover her nervousness and shot Gold a sultry smile.

“How do you want me?” Lacey asked breathily, deciding just to ignore Gold’s words about love because she didn’t know what to do with them.

“Let’s move to the bedroom,” Gold suggested. Lacey grabbed his cane and handed it to him, before stalking over to the bedroom. She looked back over her shoulder and arched an eyebrow in question. “Lay down,” Gold murmured.

Lacey smirked and did as he said, trying to make her movements as sexy as possible. Gold chuckled lightly, and moved so that he was kneeling between her legs. He ran his hands up her legs and bent his head to kiss her stomach. She twitched, his hair falling over his face, tickling her with his movements. Her breathing quickened as he kissed down to where she was aching for him. She might not have sucked him off that much, but she had done it a couple of times, he had _never_ done this for her.

“Fuck,” Lacey groaned, at the first touch of his tongue against her.

She had thought it would feel like fingers, but her eyes crossed as Gold licked her rhythmically, swirling his tongue around in her entrance, then sweeping it over her clit, before starting all over again. Nothing had ever felt like this. Her back arched, Gold’s firm hands on her thighs holding her in place. The sensations spiraled up, Gold was relentless and fuck if that thought didn’t spike her even higher. She fucking loved it when he was relentless, and now she was his sole focus, if only for a moment. Fireworks went off in her head, her orgasm overtaking her. Gold didn’t stop, and she shuddered as he moaned, it was both too much and not enough.

“Gold,” Lacey gasped, tensing her thighs, feeling slick, hot and empty. “Fuck me, now.”

He pushed two fingers inside her and nipped at her thigh, raising his head to look at her. She had thought he would look smug, but he was smiling not smirking, even though his face was wet from her. She rolled her hips and groaned, he was sliding his fingers in and out of her slowly, gently rubbing his thumb against the side of her clit. It felt fucking fantastic, but it wasn’t what she wanted, she wanted him and the bastard was going to make her say it.

“I want _you_ ,” Lacey admitted. “Your cock, in me, now. Satisfied?”

Gold chuckled softly and removed his fingers, as he slid up her body. Lacey moaned in protest, and he captured her mouth with his own, swallowing the sound. She felt his cock press against her and she rocked her hips against him, wanting him inside her. Gold’s hand moved to cup her face, she could smell herself on his fingers, they were damp against her skin. He pulled back enough to look her in the eye, his breath still warm against her lips.

“I love you,” Gold whispered, as he pressed inside her.

Lacey trembled, it was too intense, staring into his eyes as his cock slid home. Gently he started to thrust, and she wanted to close her eyes, she wanted to look away, it was all too much, but she couldn’t bring herself to break the connection. Eventually Gold’s eyelids fluttered as he lost the battle against the building pleasure. Desperately, Lacey kissed him, one hand tangling in his hair as he moved a hand down to rub her clit.

Her eyes slammed shut, as the sensations became too much. Her world narrowed down to the amazing feeling of his cock pumping in and out of her, of his fingers flickering against her clit, and his warm breath against her neck as he tried to maintain control. She was so close, she was almost there, when she felt him jerk and pulse inside her. That was what tipped her over the edge. Mindlessly she grabbed for him, wanting to be as close as possible in that moment. Then it was over, and Gold rolled off her, his breathing ragged.

“Fuck, Gold,” Lacey muttered, trying to hold onto the tattered remnants of her self-control.

She gave up, turning to burrow into his arms. She shivered as the sweat started to dry, and groaned realizing they were lying on top of the sheets. She snuggled closer, trying to soak up Gold’s warmth. They should have turned down the bed before having sex. After a moment, she felt Gold reluctantly wriggle out of her embrace. He got out of the bed and tugged at the sheets, she shifted so that he could pull them from underneath her, and then he got back into bed, pulling her back into his arms where she belonged.

Lacey tensed - where she belonged? Where had that thought come from? However, she couldn’t deny it, she and Gold fit together somehow. It wasn’t just about the sex, or the money anymore. She still didn’t know what had happened in the missing year, but maybe she’d had the same revelation she was trying to deny right now. That even though she hadn’t gone looking for love, it had somehow found her anyway. Gold said he loved her, which scared the crap out of her, but what really terrified her, is the thought that she might love him too.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning Lacey feigned sleep. Gold had to go play nice with his kid again, and she wasn’t built for that scene, so she pretended to sleep so that he wouldn’t ask her to come with him. Lacey knew that if he asked, then she would say yes. It was like she was at war with herself. Some part of her relaxed just by being with him, the weird prickling of her skin stopped when they touched. The rest of her wanted to run a mile in the other direction. There was a big difference between enjoying how good Gold was in bed, and just wanting to spend time with him.

She could handle sex, she liked sex, but the whole ‘couples’ thing scared the crap out of her. That was why she’d made a deal with Gold; she got money and he got sex, which she also enjoyed, so everybody was happy. Love had never been part of the deal but it had happened anyway. Gold loved her, and she’d realized last night that she loved him too, and she really didn’t know what to do with that. The second Lacey heard the hotel room door click shut, she groaned and pulled the pillow over her head.

As much as she would love to snooze the day away, she was far too wide awake for that, and laying staring at the ceiling was boring even if it did feel suitably dramatic. Lacey snorted and slid out of bed, padding naked over to the bathroom. She’d shower, dress, and then maybe give Gold’s credit card a bit of a workout, she hadn’t done that in a while. Lacey laughed at the thought, what the fuck did she know what she’d done recently? She could have gone on one hell of a shopping spree a couple of weeks ago and be none the wiser, fucking amnesia.

Lacey turned the shower on, luxuriating underneath the powerful spray. She was in no hurry and she had a lot to think about, showers were good for that. The missing year was bothering her more and more, though not as much as magic suddenly being real. Honestly what kind of fantasy novel had she fallen into? Lacey snorted again, at the thought that it would definitely be the X-rated kind given the number of times she’d jumped Gold lately. If he needed a consolation prize to make up for the awkward as fuck reunion with his kid, she’d definitely helped him out there.

Although he’d helped her just as much Lacey acknowledged reluctantly as she rinsed off. He’d been strong for her during this whole mess, and despite herself she had drawn comfort from him. He only made her uncomfortable because he made her feel _feelings_. Gold was making her mask slip and she was scared. Love was weakness, and she didn’t like to be vulnerable to anyone - not even Gold. She stepped out of the shower, reaching for one of the hotels white fluffy towels, when she heard her cellphone start ringing.

“Fucking typical,” Lacey swore.

She couldn’t even remember where she’d tossed her purse last night, all she’d been thinking about was getting Gold naked and sucking him off. The purse was laying on the desk next to the hotel phone. She grabbed it, smirking when she managed to grab the phone before it stopped ringing. The caller ID was Gold’s, perhaps he wanted her to grab lunch with them. She supposed she should at least pretend to make an effort to play nice with his kid, she was going to be in his dads life for _forever_ after all.

“I was just thinking about you,” Lacey said sultrily. “I was in the shower, all wet and ...”

“Lacey, it’s Emma!” Emma exclaimed.

“Oh,” Lacey muttered, before shrugging. With her free hand, she carded her fingers through her wet hair. Emma deserved what she got for calling on Gold’s phone. “Where’s Gold?”

“That’s the thing,” Emma admitted. Lacey frowned, she could hear Emma wincing even from down the phone. What the fuck was going on? “Gold’s been hurt.”

“What?” Lacey barked. Her heart pounded in her chest. She felt sick and weak, her blood running cold. How fucking dare Gold scare her like this? He did not fucking have the right to make her care, and then make her worry. “What the fuck happened?”

“That’s ... complicated. Look can you meet us at the marina?” Emma rattled off directions. “Gold says we need to get back to Storybrooke as fast as possible.”

“Yeah, yeah I’ll be there,” Lacey promised breathlessly.

She slammed the flip-phone shut and practically sprinted the half a dozen steps into the bedroom. She pulled the towel off and rubbed furiously at her skin, before letting the towel drop to the floor and grabbing the first shirt and pants that came to hand. Lacey swore as she tried to pull the leather pants on, they were tight at the best of times but with her skin still damp from the shower it was even worse. Growling in frustration she glanced around the room, their clothes from last night were still where she’d thrown them, but she wasn’t going to take the time to check out. The hotel would just have to deal with it, they were ‘very special guests’ after all.

“Complicated my ass,” Lacey hissed to herself. “Stupid magic crap. Can’t go to a hospital like a normal person. Frightening the shit out of me. I’m going to kick his arse. If he thinks he’s hurt now, he can fucking well think again. I’ll show him what hurt really is. Stupid, idiot, man.”

Lacey shoved her feet into the high heels from last night, they didn’t match but who the fuck cared right now. She grabbed her purse and headed for the door. If Gold was just fucking with her, and wasn’t really as hurt as Emma had made it sound, then he was going to pay dearly and not in a good way. Seriously this was one of the reasons that love should _never_ have come into it, a deal was much safer, she didn’t have to be afraid of her heart getting crushed. If anything happened to Gold it was going to hurt.

She had promised him forever, and she would definitely hate him for forever, if he went and died on her or anything like that. Lacey swallowed, pushing that possibility away, she didn’t want to think about that. Gold was just hurt, it might not even be that bad, and she was going to kick his arse for scaring her, and then everything would be alright. He couldn’t die, not now, he did not get to do that to her.

*****

The taxi took far too long to drive through New York. Lacey’s hands were itching with the urge to strangle the idiot driver, by the time they pulled up to the marina that Emma had described. Lacey could see Henry standing on the dock waiting for her, bouncing impatiently up and down. She threw the driver a bundle of bills, probably far too much but she wasn’t in the mood to wait, and jumped out. She strode over, heels clacking on the concrete marina, trying to tamp down her worry. It was bad enough that she was panicking over Gold, she didn’t need to let anyone else see that weakness.

“Where is he?” Lacey demanded.

“Onboard, Captain’s quarters,” Henry told her in a subdued tone.

Lacey brushed past him but there was no boat there. She hadn’t questioned taking a boat rather than driving, because it was obviously more magic crap, and she guessed that the boat was hidden by magic as well. Honestly for all that she loved the sound of the power magic offered, as well as the possibility to keep her young, it did scare the crap out of her. She liked to know what could, and couldn’t, happen and magic kinda removed all limits. How could she protect herself from something she knew so little about?

Henry ran past her and pointed. “Up here.”

“What the fuck?” Lacey muttered under her breath, as she saw Henry appear to start floating in midair.

She felt with her foot, feeling an invisible gangplank. The moment she had both feet on it, there was suddenly an old-fashioned boat next to her. It looked like something out of the Pirates of the Caribbean, it even had a freaking skull and crossbones flying off the mast. Lacey shook her head, ignoring Gold’s son who was standing by the wheel, and headed straight for the opening that looked like it led below deck. She could hear Gold’s low tones before she saw him. Emma was crouched over him, pressing a blood stained rag against his chest. Lacey’s heart clenched at the sight and she tripped, falling into the door frame. Both Emma and Gold’s heads snapped round at the sound, and Emma smiled weakly at her appearance.

“I’ll go help Neal,” Emma murmured.

Lacey ignored her and waited. She clenched her jaw, and the moment Emma left, she slammed the door shut and turned on Gold. “You unmitigated bastard,” Lacey hissed. “What the hell did you get yourself into?”

“An old enemy, the pirate. I’m sorry sweetheart, I had no idea he’d follow us here,” Gold apologized, wincing in pain.

“Pirate, pirate ship, I could have worked that one out for myself,” Lacey grumbled, sinking down onto the cot next to him.

Gingerly she pulled the rag away from the wound. It wasn’t really bleeding any longer but she had a sick feeling that was part of the problem. Whatever had hit Gold had sunk in deep, but the wound had closed over and turned a disturbing yellowish-green. She didn’t need to have a fucking medical degree to work out that meant poison. Gently she traced her fingers round the wound, hearing Gold’s breath hitch.

“Do you have the antidote?” Lacey asked, refusing to look him in the eye.

“I have something that will work even better, _if_ I can guide events the right way,” Gold whispered. He hissed in pain and Lacey snatched her hand away. Gold grabbed it with his and kissed it. “Sweetheart I just want ...”

“No,” Lacey said hoarsely. “No! You don’t get to do that. You’re not going to die.”

Gold looked pained. “Well just if ...”

“No!” Lacey growled. “We’re not doing this. Don’t you dare die on me, or I’ll bring you back and kill you again myself. Seeing as magic is real, that might be possible, you never know.”

“It’s not but I get your point,” Gold acquiesced.

Lacey subsided, the core of rage inside her going quiet for the time being. She relaxed more against him, knowing that they were coming dangerously close to cuddling but she couldn’t bring herself to care. From the second Emma had called, her imagination had gone into overdrive, and she hated him for that. Now, it seemed the worst of her paranoid fears was coming true. Gold was dying and he was offering no guarantees. Usually he was so confident in his schemes, and if _he_ had doubts, then she was truly terrified.

“How fucking dare you?” Lacey grumbled.

Gold’s hand stroked her back. “I know sweetheart and I’m sorry.”

“You better be,” Lacey threatened, stoking the fires of her anger.

She liked the anger, it kept the well of pain at bay. Gold had made her feel, and then he did this, and she was never going to forgive him for that. Mostly to comfort herself, she tried imagining how she was going to make him pay when this was all over. For a second she considered cutting him off but she knew that would never work. The very moment he was healed, she wasn’t letting him out of bed for at least a week. Lacey wasn’t sure how long they lay there in silence, the only sounds the creaking of the ship and the lapping of the waves against the hull. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

“It’s Emma,” Emma called uncomfortably from behind the door. Lacey smirked, Emma was such a prude if she was _still_ weirded out from the phone call.

“Come in dearie,” Gold said, opening his eyes. Lacey could feel his frame tense and realized with a pang that he’d let his guard down with her. Stupid, idiot man, how fucking dare he?

Emma pushed open the door. “Bad news Gold.”

“What, worse than incurable poison?” Gold snarked.

“I don’t know.” Emma shrugged. “You tell me. You got a dagger hidden somewhere in Storybrooke that’s the source of all your power?”

Lacey felt Gold tense further. It wouldn’t be obvious to Emma but she could hear his breathing speed up. He’d never said how he’d got his powers, and she had been too freaked out by magic to ask, but a dagger seemed about right. She couldn’t picture Gold getting his powers from a dorky magic hat or anything like that. A dagger was a weapon, dangerous just like he was.

“Cora’s after it. The only way to stop her, is have David and Mary Margaret get to it first,” Emma continued.

Gold shook his head. “Let Cora try. That dagger hasn’t left my possession for centuries. It’s not about to now.”

 _‘Centuries,’_ Lacey mouthed, what the fuck was that about? Her head hurt, it felt like it was being split in two. She would kill for an advil, and another revelation was just too fucking much. If Gold was even older than she had thought, then that would solve the mystery of his son’s age. It hadn’t computed that Gold could have a ten year old grandson, he’d never seemed that old to her, but if he was centuries fucking old, then what was a few decades? However, that begged a whole bunch of new questions. She had thought that the cloud of magic a couple of months ago had been the start of it but sounded like Gold had been lying to her from the start.

“Here’s the thing. You’re dying and right now we’re your best hope,” Emma argued.

“Fuck that,” Lacey interrupted. Whatever the hell was going on with Gold, magic, his age and whatever else, that didn’t matter right now. What mattered was getting through the day, she could scream at him later. “This Cora can’t find it can she?”

“She might,” Emma insisted. “She’s looking for it.”

“But she hasn’t found it yet. If we tell your friends where the fuck it is, then all Cora has to do it is take it from them.” Lacey snorted. “Mary Margaret’s the prude school teacher yeah? Well she is _not_ going to stand up to anyone.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “You don’t know her. Gold you need to start trusting someone and if I were you, I’d start with family.”

“Lacey’s my wife,” Gold said mildly, with just the hint of an undercurrent of danger in his tone. “And she has a point Miss Swan. All Cora would have to do is threaten to kill someone, and they would hand the dagger right over, assuming they could pick the pieces up later. You forget, I’ve known them a lot longer than you have.”

“I hope you’re right Gold,” Emma growled. “It’s all of our necks on the line if you’re wrong.”

“Mine most of all,” Gold agreed. “Cora won’t find the dagger Miss Swan, not unless we lead her right to it.”

*****

Lacey watched as Gold grew paler, his breathing turning increasingly labored as time ticked on. She wanted to scream, she wanted to lash out and hit something, or go and destroy whoever the fuck had done this. Gold had said a pirate was responsible, and this was a pirate ship, so at least the would-be murderer had made himself useful by coughing up his ship to get them home. She bit her lip, maybe she should have let Gold say what he wanted. If he did die then she’d want to know what he was going to say.

“You’re not allowed to die,” Lacey hissed.

Gold twitched at the sound of her voice but his eyes didn’t open. He’d drifted off into an uneasy slumber, leaving her alone to listen to every catch in his breath, terrified that it would be his last. Honestly what the fuck was he doing to her? When he lived through this, and she had to believe that he would, she was going to kill him herself for putting her through this. She would teach him to terrify her like this.

“We’re docked.”

Lacey’s head snapped up, she hadn’t heard Neal come in the room. “Gold.” She poked him and he stirred slowly. “We’re home. You want to tell me this plan of yours.”

“I need to get to the shop. There’s magic there that can protect us. Dagger or not, Cora will try and take advantage of my weakened state.” Gold grimaced.

“Help me with him. He’s stubborn and heavy,” Lacey groused, hoping her taunt would result in a returned barb.

Gold smiled weakly at her, making her want to hit him again. Neal hurried over and threw one of Gold’s arms around his neck. Lacey did the same with the other arm and they hauled him to his feet. Gold stumbled unsteadily, only managing to support about half his weight. Lacey didn’t quite know how they managed to maneuver him to the top deck and off the ship. David and Mary Margaret were waiting next to a parked truck.

The moment they appeared Mary Margaret strode over. “Gold, you need to tell us where the dagger is. We can’t let Cora get her hands on it!”

“She won’t find it,” Gold stated firmly.

Lacey watched as his gaze flickered over her, taking in every detail, the corner of his lips quirked and she knew that he’d found what he wanted. He winced as they helped him onto the back of the truck. Lacey clambered next to him. Mary Margaret glared at them both, before huffing and disappearing, presumably to the cab of the truck. Gold’s eyes glinted and Lacey’s narrowed, he had said that he had something better than an antidote ‘if he could guide events the right way.’ From his expression, it seemed so far everything was going according to plan. She hoped it would stay that way.

David and Neal helped Gold into the shop, letting him collapse onto the cot at the back. Lacey raised an eyebrow, she hadn’t known that was here, and she immediately hated it because Gold was dying on top of it. When this was over, she decided they needed to reclaim that bit of furniture, and make some good memories using it. Perhaps she had been hasty in thinking that she wouldn’t let him out of bed for a week, it wasn’t like they needed a bed for what she had in mind.

Gold issued orders, finding Emma some weirdass invisible chalk, and saying that everyone else should ‘prepare for battle’. Then he turned to her. “Lacey would you ...”

“No,” Lacey growled.

She wasn’t going to move unless somebody made her, she was staying right here glued to Gold’s side. She didn’t know what the fuck she could do in a magical fight, but Gold belonged to her, and she wasn’t letting Cora, death or anyone else take him away from her. She’d only just admitted she loved him for crying out loud, this was just so not happening.

“I’m staying with you.”

“As you wish,” Gold accepted with obvious reluctance. Everyone else started to leave. “Wait, wait, please,” Gold called out, halting Mary Margaret in her tracks. “Can you ... get me a warmer blanket. In the cabinet just there.”

Mary Margaret shot them both a look of disgust, and gave a long suffering sigh but did as he asked. She opened the cabinet and Lacey frowned, she couldn’t see any blankets inside, but then she guessed that was the point. If Gold wanted a blanket he could have asked her, he’d wanted Mary Margaret to find something and from her expression, and her quiet gasp, she had.

“Why do you have this?” Mary Margaret demanded, holding up a candle that was black at one end, and white at the other.

“For a rainy day,” Gold quipped. “You’ve finally realized the truth.”

“You knew?” Mary Margaret hissed.

Gold raised his hands self-deprecatingly. “Not until long after the fact I assure you. You know what that candle does and I’m sorry to tell you dearie, that it’s the only thing that can save me now. There’s nothing else.”

“I wouldn’t use this to save my own mother,” Mary Margaret exclaimed in horror. “What makes you think I would use it for you?”

“Because you’re all grown up now and, for once, our interests are aligned,” Gold said deliberately.

Lacey looked between him and Mary Margaret, trying to work out what the fuck was going on, although truthfully she didn’t care. If that candle could save him, then they should light it the hell up. Gold glanced towards her, and Lacey’s eyes narrowed at the trepidation she could read in his expression. He was worried about her reaction to this, but why? He was dying, a candle could save him, that was weird but not exactly a deal breaker.

“There’s no coming back from murder,” Mary Margaret whispered.

 _‘Oh,’_ Lacey mouthed in realization, that made more sense. A candle couldn’t save him, but the candle combined with a death - a life for a life kinda deal - that could. There was a certain logic to that, and for all that magic was weird, it at least sounded like it had rules and limits, which was reassuring. Nothing in life was free, so if magic didn’t come with a price, that would be really frightening because it wouldn’t be right. Everything had a price.

“If she won’t do it, I will,” Lacey offered boldly. Gold’s eyes widened in horror.

“Cora killed my mother,” Mary Margaret said uncertainly. Lacey watched as the indecision played out across her face before she came to a decision. Mary Margaret looked defiantly at Gold. “What do I have to do?”

*****

Lacey’s hand clenched into a fist. Hearing the sounds of what could only be magic hitting a shield, was scary as fuck, it was like waiting for the anvil to drop on those old stupid cartoons. She used to watch them sometimes on Sunday morning, an inane distraction from the pounding of her hangover. The sound of the door crashing back, and Gold’s flinch, told her that whatever magical protections he’d had Emma cast were gone now. Lacey got to her feet and scrambled to Gold’s desk, she should have thought about this before. Why the fuck were they bothering with swords when Gold had a gun in his desk?

Ignoring the clash of steel in the front room, Lacey grabbed the gun and leveled it at the entrance just as someone stepped through. A woman, more Gold’s age than hers, dressed in the same kind of powersuit the bitch mayor liked. It didn’t take a genius to guess this was ‘Cora’ and Lacey’s finger tightened on the trigger.

Cora smirked. “Oh really Rumple, hiding behind your little maid.”

She waved her hand and the gun was yanked out of Lacey’s grip. Lacey grimaced, her fingers stinging where the gun had been torn loose. Another negligent wave of Cora’s hand sent her crashing back against the shelving. Lacey groaned, fuck that hurt. She was going to have bruises on her bruises. Growling she hauled herself to her feet and lunged forward, only to be sent careening back with another flick of Cora’s hand.

“Stay down little girl,” Cora sneered.

“Fuck off,” Lacey snarled, unsteadily standing again. “He’s mine! I’ll never stop fighting for him.”

Cora laughed, forming a fireball in her hand. Lacey’s eyes widened, she’d seen Gold do that the night she lost her memories. Frantically Gold reached out with his hand, panting with effort. Lacey guessed he was trying to shield her, but the poison was screwing with his magic. She knew that she shouldn’t have let Mary Margaret take care of Cora, she’d obviously fucked it up. Cora was still alive, Gold was still dying, that was not how this was supposed to have gone.

Suddenly they weren’t alone. Lacey looked past Cora to the new arrival - Regina, the mayor, who shoved something red and glowing in Cora’s chest. Lacey stared, she thought that might have been a heart. Gold had not been fucking kidding about Cora’s heart not being in her chest. That was so weird and more than a little creepy. Cora started to laugh and Regina looked at her hopefully. Lacey shook her head and looked around for the gun, she spotted it halfway under Gold’s desk and dove for it. Sure, it hadn’t made a blind bit of difference last time but she felt better holding it. Then Cora collapsed to the floor.

“Mother!” Regina cried, dropping to her knees and cradling Cora in her arms.

“You ... you would have been enough,” Cora gasped.

Gold got to his feet. Lacey felt sick with relief, a slow smile spreading across her face, the awful yellowish-green skin on his chest was gone. In fact the entire wound had disappeared. She didn’t quite get how Regina had got involved, but Mary Margaret had come through for them, and Gold was going to live. Lacey side-stepped the two women on the floor, shooting them wary glances as she made her way to Gold’s side. She slipped her arm round him, and he did the same, holding her close. Lacey’s hand slid up his chest, relishing the warmth of his skin and the solid reassuring beat of his heart.

“Your mother did you no favors,” Gold said crisply.

“Shut up,” Regina hissed. “You stole her life. You cast some kind of spell.”

Gold shook his head calmly. “I did nothing.”

“No Regina don’t!” Mary Margaret careened into the room.

“You, you did this,” Regina growled, glaring at Mary Margaret with such hate it nearly made Lacey take a step back.

Regina gestured, and purple smoke enveloped both her and Cora. When it dissipated they were gone. Lacey blinked, well that would certainly cut down on the commute but once again was creepy as fuck. If people could just come and go like that, it would be really hard to run away from them. Mary Margaret looked stricken, but as grateful as Lacey was to her she couldn’t bring herself to be sympathetic.

It might be callous but at the end of the day it had been Mary Margaret’s choice. She hadn’t had to do it. Lacey rolled her shoulders. The adrenaline was starting to wear off and she was right, she was sore as hell and not in a good way. She pulled her arm back and punched Gold hard on his shoulder. He winced, his hand flying up automatically to rub where she’d hit him.

“That’s for nearly dying you bastard,” Lacey muttered.

She took another step forward and grabbed his shirt, missing his tie all of a sudden because it made this easier. She pressed her lips against his, uncaring of their audience, and this was no gentle kiss. It was all tongue, and teeth and there was a rainbow pulse in the air. Belle staggered backwards, her mind spinning as memories of another life spilled forth like water from a broken dam. It was the second time that had happened to her, and it was just as disorientating as the first. Rumplestiltskin stared at her in awed disbelief. There was the sound of running feet.

“What the hell was that?” Neal demanded, as he burst into the back of the shop.

“True loves kiss,” Rumplestiltskin said quietly. He smiled, and Belle could see tears brimming in the corners of his eyes. “Bae, I’d like you to meet Belle. Belle, this is my son Baelfire.”

“Neal.” Neal held out his hand.

Belle took it automatically. “I remember. I’m really glad you’re here Neal. Your father’s been looking for you for a long time.”


End file.
